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HINDUISM TODAY

Affirming Sanatana Dharma and Recording the Modern History of a Billion-Strong Global Religion in Renaissance

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POET-SAGE KABIR ❖ SHIRDI SAI BABA ❖ KALI PUJA ❖ NEW DELHI ART FESTIVAL

(Cover) The fifteenth century Hindu mystic poet and saint Kabir, at his loom with Lord Rama behind him;
(above) black and white image of a lifelike marble statue of Shirdi Sai Baba (1836–1918) installed in an Indian temple.

July/August/September, 2016 • The Hindu Year Durmukhi, 5117

www.gurudeva.org

IN T ER NAT IONA L Storm with His Innovative Art 66

Modern Saints: Shirdi Sai Baba’s Popularity Nutrition: You Are What Your Ancestors Ate 68
Continues to Grow Inside and Outside India 18
OPINION
Art: India’s Colossal Creative Capacity Is
Showcased at Delhi’s 2016 India Art Festival 26 In My Opinion: From Malaysia to London, How I
Worship: One Woman’s Search for Peace Ends in an Finally Came to Understand My Ancestral Faith 9
Enchanting Encounter with the Goddess Kali 54 Publisher’s Desk: Dance and the Spiritual Path 10
Letters 12
LIFEST YLE From the Agamas: Discussing Siva’s Form and Energy 17
Business: The Patanjali Group’s Ayurvedic Line, Made Education: California’s Graduate Theological Union
with High-Tech Methods, Dominates the Market 32 Pioneers Truly Universal Religious Studies 52
Insight: The Little-Known Story of Weaver, Sage Books: A Scholar’s Take on Rajiv Malhotra’s Defense
and Songwriter Kabir 36 of Our Sacred Language in The Battle for Sanskrit 62
Ganeshmobile: This Anthropologist’s Car Is a
DIGES TS
Traveling Testament to His Friend, Ganapati 60
Fenugreek: The Bitter Truth About a Useful Plant 64 Global Dharma 6
Going Viral: A Young Artist Takes Social Media by Quotes & Quips 14
Digital Dharma 86

A Weaver’s Life
JULY/AUGUST/SEPTEMBER, 2016

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India
Art
Festival
Correspondent
Rajiv Malik and
daughter Palak
(shown here)
take us inside the
major exhibition
held in New Delhi
in January, 2016
…Page 26

Palak Malik takes a

photo of artist Vivek
Kumavat, who painted
the zebu bull on
display to her right

t h o m a s k e l llyy

p h a l g i r o ta
 The gift documents state that
the holder of the Indic Civili-
zation and Religious Studies
chair “will have a high level of
partnerships with the Vedic and art
India heritage community in the violence experienced in Indian-
Western diaspora.” Contrary to
the association’s claim, the actual
Sartorial Statement American communities.
“Fashion can politically align

education
proficiency in innovative, inter-
disciplinary research on Indic
Religious Studies, … the equiva-
authority to appoint the chair
remained exclusively with the
university, and—beyond making
T anya rawal, an indian
American professor at the
University of California, River-
I was hoping to generate some
questions in the class around
being a minority in this country,”
you with a place. And right
now is not the time for me to
politically align with the United
UC Irvine Rejects DCF Gifts lent of native proficiency in San-
skrit and in at least one contem-
suggestions—the donors had no
say. It’s not clear, then, how the
side, started the hashtag #Saree-
NotSorry in September, 2015, as
Rawal told reporters.
“I wanted to perform the inter-
States. Now when people look at
me they have to see a different

I n february, 2016, four gifts

of $1.5 million to the University
of California Irvine to endow
four professorships were with-
drawn by the Dharma Civiliza-
tion Foundation. The chairs were
in Indic Civilization and Reli-
gious Studies, Sikh Studies, Jain
Studies and the “Swami Vive-
kananda-Dharma Civilization
Foundation Presidential Chair in
Modern India Studies.”
Shortly after the gifts
were announced, the History
Graduate Student Association
at Irvine opposed the chairs.
They charged that the donors
sought influence in the process
of selecting the individuals for
the chairs in an effort to forward
their own “social, religious and
political agendas.”
UC Irvine: The Hindu, Sikh
and Jain communities sought to
create a center for the study of
Indic religions at the prestigious
university
porary Indian language and deep
familiarity with India and Indian
tradition, …[and] the ability to
forge meaningful and productive
association felt the donors could
influence the selection process
beyond the endowment’s stated
list of qualifications.
a campaign to discourage nega-
tive attitudes towards Indian-
Americans and bring attention
section of the multiple social
identities and political systems
that shape my everyday life.
culture. A different fashion. A
different aesthetic.”
#SareeNotSorry has been used
to the positive aspects of Indian And being a brown woman is over 600,000 unique times since
culture. definitely a complicated posi- its beginning, as women share
Rawal has been tweeting tion, especially since 9/11, and their stories and sari photos.
and instagramming pictures of especially with the increasing
herself wearing saris in myriad hatred towards immigrants in
colors and fabrics, sometimes the United States. The Gurdwara Identity crisis: “Being an
accessorized with belt and boots. shootings in Wisconsin, the Indian-American is painful
At first, the idea was just a police attack on Sureshbhai Patel for me sometimes, but I am
teaching investigation.“My in Alabama, and the death of grateful that my mother and
experiment was on what does it Parminder Singh Shergill are nana gave me the tools to keep
mean to be brown and a woman. just a few recent examples of the India close to my heart.”

pa k i s ta n
Hindu Marriages Allowed
T he sindh province in paki-
stan has become the first in
the largely Muslim country to
give Hindus the right to register
their marriage.
The bill was passed in Feb-
ruary, 2016, by lawmakers in
Sindh—home to many of the
nations three million Hindus.
Hindus in the nation have never
had a legal framework to register
their unions until now.
It’s official: A bride and groom go through a ritual during a mass Many Hindu couples say that
marriage ceremony in Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city. The bill comes not having their marriage regis-
at a time of increased violence against Pakistan’s minorities. Many tered has given them logistical
Hindus have fled to India in recent years. problems with basic activities
such as opening bank accounts,
applying for visas, acquiring
national identity cards and get-
ting shares of property because
they lacked proof of marriage. It
can also be applied retroactively
to existing unions.
However, the legislation also
contains a controversial clause
that allows the marriage to be
annulled if any spouse converts.
The National Assembly is
considering a wider bill on rec-
ognizing Hindu marriage rights,
including issues of inheritance,
divorce and child maintenance.
world religions
Missionaries Thwarted
A n american couple, mat-
thew and Jennifer Dickson,
have filed a lawsuit against K.P.
Yohannan in the district court
of Arkansas in February, 2016,
alleging that nearly 90% of all
US citizens’ donations to his
Christian organization’s mis-
sionary work in India and other
Asian nations is being diverted
to his multi-million-dollar
Siva’s students: The first group to graduate from the Australia personal businesses. Despite
classes held by Dr. Sabharatnam proudly hold their certificates repeated and explicit promises
made by Gospel for Asia for
sanskrit funds to spread Christianity in
India through various charitable
Sydney Siddhanta Course projects, such as health care,
education and a water ministry
called “Jesus wells and water fil-
ters,” only a small portion of the
money was so used, they claim.
A similar petition was filed in
2011 but later dismissed.
The Gospel for Asia website
(www.gfa.com) is designed to
lure in well-meaning donors
to “reach the unreached and
transform communities.” In a
way, Hindus should be thankful
the money isn’t being used for
its stated purposes, which only-
would serve to disrupt families
and cause community discord in
the name of religion.

tradition
A Bridge from India to Japan I n february, 2016, the Siva-
gnana Bodha Course was con-
ducted by Dr. S. P. Sabharathnam
study and research the primary
books through knowledgeable
gurus like Dr. S. P. Sabharathnam
Sivacharyar for more than 50 Sivacharyar.”

A youtube video entitled

Indian Deities Worshiped
in Japan, posted in January,
2016, explains how Japanese
culture and worship originated
with India and Hinduism. The
52-minute film is made and nar-
rated by famed photographer
and historian Benoy K. Behl.
The documentary cites
research showing that Japan’s
religious roots come largely from
India. The Sanskrit language,
first taught in Japan by an Indian
Buddhist monk named Bod-
hisena, is written and chanted
today in a Japanese style.
The documentary interviews
H.E. Mr. Yasukuni Enoli, for-
mer ambassador of Japan. He
explains, “Japan and India are
very closely interconnected. If
you go to a Japanese tomb, you
may find Siddham (Sanskrit) let-
ters, which few Japanese people
can read.” The film praises
Japan’s ability to retain some of
India’s culture better than India.
Saiva devotees in Sydney, Aus-
tralia. The course was highly
successful, with 49 students
Mr. Anbu Jaya, course student,
reveals his experience: “I tried
to read Saiva Siddhanta several
graduating on March 13. Each times on my own, and every
participant was awarded the time I came across terminologies
title “Sivagnanac Cudar”(The like pasu, pati, maya and pasa,
Light of Siva Knowledge). it put me off. A few years back,
The course director, Mr. M. a quote from a Thiruvasakam
Arjunamani, said, “Based on hymn, ‘Blessings of God needed
our experience in conduct- to worship Him’ attracted my
ing two courses on Saiva Sid- attention. Do I need God’s bless- Allegations again: K.P. Yohannan, founder and president of
dhanta, we understand there is ings to worship Him? When I GFA, says they are “unintentionally negligent” in their financial
Lakshmi, Ganesha & Saraswati: H.E. Mr. Yasukuni Enoli claims an unquenched thirst among completed this course, I realized and management practices, which led to being dropped from the
that more than 80 percent of Japanese Gods are originally Indian Gods Saivite Hindus of Tamil origin to the meaning of these words.” Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability in 2015

6 h i n d u i s m t o day
y j u ly
y / au
u g us
u t/september, 2016
top to bottom: uci.edu; reuters; wikimedia.com t o p t o b o t t o m : ta n ya r awa l ; d r . s . p. s a b h a r ata n a m ; d i h n e w s . c o m
j u ly / au g us t / s e p t e m b e r , 2 0 1 6 h i n d u i s m t o day 7
argentina
Settling in Their New Home
A rgentina is experiencing
a small influx of Indian
contract workers, according to
a report on the local Spanish-
language news site, clarin.com.
Hundreds of software engineers,
businessmen, doctors, financial
and business executives, even
chefs, are making a new
life in this South Amer-
ican country. The
wave of immigration,
primarily to Buenos
Aires, has brought
India’s culture with it.
These young Indi-
ans are the face of a drastic
change in the economy of India.
More young professionals are
being produced there than in
any other country, including
China, where the one-child
policy has caused the number
of university graduates to lag
The first Indians to
arrive in Argentina were
Sikhs in the 19th century,
brought there to help build
a British railroad. Other
Indians came in the 1970s
who had failed to get into
the US, Canada or Britain.
Some of those who
came promoted
yoga and ayurvedic
medicine, staffed
the kitchens of
restaurants and traded
in textiles. Little by
little, Indian immigrants
became part of the local
culture.
Starting in 2007, software
engineers came into high
demand for Argentinian com-
puter companies, so much so
that the companies were not
even waiting for them to gradu-
best grade-point average right
out of college. Seeing an oppor-
tunity, multinational companies
including Cognizant started to
bring skilled workers from India.
For their article, Clarin inter-
viewed Vignesh, a young Indian
man now living in Buenos Aires.
He reports feeling culture shock,
but is doing well living next to a
Krishna temple. He wakes up at
H INDUISM T ODAY was IN MY OPINION
founded on January 5,
1979, by Satguru Sivaya
From Darkness to Light
Subramuniyaswami
(1927–2001). It is a
nonprofit educational
activity of Himalayan
Academy, with the fol-
lowing purposes: 1. To
foster Hindu solidar-
One woman’s story of her search for knowledge
ity as a unity in diver-
sity among all sects and understanding about her ancient faith
and lineages; 2. To inform and inspire Hindus
worldwide and people interested in Hinduism;
B Y P U VA N E S WA R Y R O B E R T S
T 
3. To dispel myths, illusions and misinformation
about Hinduism; 4. To protect, preserve and pro-
mote the sacred Vedas and the Hindu religion; hai pusam is the an- Siva’s grace I have been fortunate to
5. To nurture and monitor the ongoing spiri- nual festival celebrating have met Gurudeva. It was his sim-
A breath of fresh air: (above) tual Hindu renaissance; 6. To publish resources Lord Murugan’s victory ple, clear explanations that set me
Indian employees on break for Hindu leaders and educators who promote of light over darkness. on track. All my questions became
in front of their workplace Sanatana Dharma. Join this seva by sending let- Each year it is a great day for an adventurous journey in my life.
in Monserrat district ters, clippings, photographs, reports on events thousands at Batu Caves in Kuala My life became purposeful. I
and by encouraging others. Lumpur. On my recent pilgrim- became tolerant of issues and
age there, I again witnessed the accepting of situations and people.
most common language, but throngs of devotees who had I now feel I have a bigger picture
Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, Gujarati, kept me astounded for hours as a teenager of everything that is happening around
Punjabi, Oriya and Manipuri and continue to do so. Their devotion is truly me—both the good and the bad. I have sym-
are also spoken. Mostly, they use awesome as whole families and groups per- pathy and empathy for all of creation—for
English to communicate. form severe austerities. ô
Uõ33ô3Lô
ô3L_õ3õ
behind. ate, but plucking those with the 3:30 am every day to pray, medi-
tate, sing and perform a small
abhishekam at his home shrine.
Although all these young
Indian men come from a single
country, Clarin points out,
they’re not necessarily from the
same cultural, linguistic, racial
background or jati. Hindi is the
Hard work pays off: (left)
Rabendra Nath Jana arrived
Music, art, clothing, cuisine I had grown up in Malaysia, but had not political and religious wars causing pain and
and religion are all coming over understood much about our Hindu beliefs, sorrow for millions of people. I try to help in
from India and being shared culture or traditions. This knowledge had whatever way I can, with the inner knowl-
with the people of Argentina— been diluted in recent times throughout edge that everything will be alright. We are
the land of the tango. This social my multicultural community. Consisting of inseparable from God Siva.
phenomenon that is beginning Founder: Indians, Tamils, Chinese, Malays and Euro- As I reached the heights of the Thai
to emerge is new and exciting, Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami peans, my diverse surroundings did help Pusam celebrations at Batu Caves, I show-
according to Clarin. Publisher: make me and those around me tolerant and ered milk over Lord Murugan, and then
“I love this,” Kalyan Shencot- Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami accepting of each other. stayed in the vicinity of the shrine for a
tah, a software engineer from Editor-in-Chief: After losing my father, I grew up without couple of hours. Standing there, watching
Switzerland remarks on the Paramacharya Sadasivanatha Palaniswami much discipline or structure. My mother and observing, I felt the oneness of the spirit.
music he hears coming from Publisher’s Aide: Paramacharya Sivanatha Ceyonswami was rather shy and timid, and not very People all around me were calm, happy and
in the country in 2007, with a
33
contract to work in an Indian
restaurant, but at a grueling
pace: no weekends, no holidays.
When he finished his contract
there, he opened his own Indian
restaurant, Gungur.
an Indian classical percussion- Deputy Editor: Acharya Kumarnathaswami knowledgeable about our tradition. Thank- 33^ôõK+ô ô3Sôô5S5K+
ist influenced by the South Managing Editor: Acharya Arumuganathaswami fully, however, she showered us with an and others were enjoying the day and the
American style. “It’s a moment Production Manager: Sannyasin Brahmanathaswami abundance of love. I witnessed many nega- lively vibration. Though we were physically,
to realize that we are truly in Subscription and Distribution Manager: tive things in my community: child and emotionally and physiologically separated,
a global village. And neither Sannyasin Shanmuganathaswami wife abuse, alcoholism, poverty, racial dis- there is great oneness. I was happy for the
the mountains nor the seas can Advertising Manager: Sannyasin Kaivalyanathaswami crimination and inequality. Because of this, I opportunity to make this pilgrimage. My
separate us when we understand India Editor: Sadhaka Jayanatha was in inner turmoil as a teenager, as I could husband’s encouragement made it possible.
each other.” Assistant Editor: Sadhaka Rajanatha ^õ
õô3õ5!S]
A LIQUOR BAN IN THE INDIAN
state of Bihar, beginning April
I am appreciative for the teachings of
pour some of it on the idol and
take the rest of it home or dis-
Chief Minister Devendra Fad-
navis said, “discrimination on
the basis of caste and gender
should be eliminated from
the minds of the people keep-
ing with the modern times.”
Correspondents: Rajiv Malik, Delhi; Choodamani
retreats for foreigners in sce- Shivaram, Bengaluru; Mangala Prasad Mohanty, Odi-
nic locations in India and a sha; Lavina Melwani, New York; Sally Acharya, Nepal;
mass yoga demonstration in Paras Ramoutar, Trinidad. Copy Editor: Chamundi Sa-
one of the BJP-ruled states. banathan. HPI Staff: Chandra Sankara. Sanskritist: Dr.
P. Jayaraman. Consultants: Dr. S.P. Sabharathnam Siv-
achariyar, Sheela Venkatakrishnan. Artist: Rajeev N.T.
Global Dharma
Photo Contributors: Thomas L. Kelly, Dinodia, Dev Raj
news provided by
Agarwal, Vel Kadressen, Mu Devarayan, Indivar Sivana-
nessed. It was the small Sivan temple in the
Sentul district of Kuala Lumpur that helped
me maintain an inner calm. It brought me
contentment after each visit. I always came
away feeling that everything was alright,
light-hearted and happy.
People often casually speak about destiny,
fate and karma without any clear explana-
Gurudeva, Satguru Bodhinatha Veylan-
swami and their monastics, who help to
awaken my desire to know myself. It is a
stepping stone across the ocean, but their
teachings keep me steady. I do have chal-
lenges, momentary slips between stepping
stones, but each slip quickly restores aware-
ness of the greatness within. I love God Siva
1, 2016, has reduced the number tribute it among other devotees.” HAVING GENERATED VAST GLOBAL than. Webmasters: Tim Mize, Dharmalingam Siddhan, K3U
Lô333^ôõ
ôK and all of His creation. Vetri Vel Murugan!
of devotees in Hindu temples. A
priest in Gaya district’s Bhairav
Sthan temple said the flow of
visitors had fallen by around 70
percent. “As the tradition goes,
the devotees offer alcohol to the
Deity,” said the priest referring
to a unique practice here, “They
IN APRIL, 2016, THE SHANI SHIN-
gnapur temple in Maharashtra,
India, has lifted the centuries-
old ban that prohibits women
from entering the shrine of
Lord Shani Dev. Welcoming
the decision, Maharashtra
attention for the first Interna-
tional Day of Yoga in 2015, the
Modi government is pulling
INTERNATIONAL
out all stops to ensure that the
next edition is equally impres-
sive. Coming up in June, 2016,
is an even longer (one-hour)
yoga protocol, advanced yoga
HINDU PRESS Andre Garzia, Distribution: USA: Ingram Periodicals,
New Leaf, EBSCO Subscription Services, OneSource,
Ubiquity. Europe: SWETS Subscription Service. Ma-
Subscribe to a free daily laysia and Singapore: Sanathana Dharma Publications.
news summary about India: Central News Agency Limited, Delhi. Mauritius:
Hinduism worldwide at CODIP. Trinidad: Pandit Narendra & Ashwinee Ragoon-
hinduismtoday.com/hpi anan. Printer: Quad/Graphics, Waseca, Minnesota.
There were not many books available to me
at the time and the priests in the temples
did pujas in Sanskrit without much expla-
nation. After a half a century of my own
search for answers, I found knowledge
about Saivite Hinduism in the teachings of
Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami. With
Puvaneswary Roberts was born in
Malaysia and moved to the UK in 1969 for
general nursing. There she met her husband
Clive. They now have a son and daughter
and three grandchildren.
puvanesroberts@gmail.com

8 h i n d u i s m t o day
y j u ly / au g u
uss t / s e p t e m b e r , 2 0 1 6 p h o t o s t o p t o b o t t o m : c l a r i n e . c o m ; s h u t t e r s t o c k ; c l a r i n. c o m j u ly / au g us t / s e p t e m b e r , 2 0 1 6 h i n d u i s m t o day 9
PUBLISHER’S DESK

Dance and the Spiritual Path

What could success in the fine arts possibly have
to do with progress in our religious life?
B Y S A T G U R U B O D H I N A T H A V E Y L A N S WA M I

M
y guru, sivaya subramuniyas- by focusing on her strengths but on her
wami had the gift of bringing weaknesses.
down to Earth in a practical way Looking at the spiritual path, let’s take
the guidelines for becoming a more the example of someone who is happy
spiritual person. It is easy to talk high phi- to help coordinate activities at a nearby
losophy in Hinduism: “Man is God. We are Hindu center. However, when she
divine,” and so forth. It is easy to say profound attends puja she doesn’t feel much devo-
things such as, “You are a being that has un- tion for the Deity. Her strength is service,
limited power within you.” However, to put and her weakness is devotion. To fur-
these principles into practice to the extent ther advance she needs to focus less on
that we really are a more spiritual person service and more on activities that will
this year than we were a year ago—that is the deepen her devotion, such as singing
challenge, and that is what we will explore in bhajans, making garlands for the temple
this article. using flowers grown at home, and sew-
The ability to help us with that is part of ing clothes for the Deity.

Gurudeva’s genius. He gives us high philoso-
phy along with pragmatic guidelines and
in the process keeps us feeling good about
ourselves. He never took the approach that we have weaknesses and
failings and therefore are imperfect. He makes the opposite point: we
are divine beings, meaning we are the soul or spiritual being. How-
ever, we also have other qualities that come along with being human.
We have instincts, we have an intellect, we have an ego, and we need
to keep them all under control so that our soul, our spiritual nature,
dominates our days. As Gurudeva says, “Peace is control, and control
is freedom.”
My reflections on dance and discipline were first shared in a 2003
talk I gave in California at an Arangetram, a young Hindu lady’s first
public dance performance. Her accomplishment inspired me to out-
line five ways that the attitudes involved in studying dance and the
attitudes involved in striving to make progress on the Hindu spiri-
tual path are indeed the same. Following Gurudeva’s style, I took a
practical approach to the subject. Afterwards, members of the audi-
ence came forward to express how applicable these insights were to
their own spiritual quest.
Gurudeva himself was, in his youth, an accomplished dancer. Years
later, on special occasions he would dance in the Indian classical
Manipuri style. And when he spoke about dancing, he would regu-
larly make the comment that in learning dance you are expecting
and, in fact, paying the dance guru to point out your weakest areas,
not to compliment you on what you are doing well. As our satguru,
he was providing that same guidance in our spiritual life.
Gurudeva’s comment leads perfectly into our first comparison
of the spiritual path to the study of dance, which is the attitude
toward strengths and weaknesses. Does a young woman become a
better dancer by focusing on the movements she
does well? Of course not. She must focus on the
movements she has not perfected and strive to
improve them. She becomes a better dancer not
shutterstock
A second comparison is the attitude
toward improvement. A good dancer
has the attitude that she can perform a
dance better than she has ever done it before. She feels
there is always room for improvement and her move-
ments can always be further refined.
Looking at the spiritual path, let’s take as our example the principle
of ahimsa, nonviolence. It is indeed a central principle of Hinduism.
Of course, most of us do not indulge in physical violence. Therefore,
we may conclude that ahimsa presents no challenge to us.
However, let’s look more closely at the definition of ahimsa, which
is not harming others by thought, word or deed. This clear and com-
plete definition points out that even though we may not be harm-
ing others with our actions, we can take the attitude of striving to
improve our behavior even more by carefully watching our speech
and avoiding harming others through our words. The most com-
mon forms of verbal violence are teasing, belittling, gossiping and
backbiting. Every reduction we make in harming others through our
words produces spiritual progress.
A third comparison of the spiritual path to the study of dance
is our attitude toward mistakes. Many beginning dancers are self-
conscious about mistakes. They make a mistake and get flustered and
can’t concentrate on the rest of the dance class. A good teacher will
point out that such errors are natural; all dancers make them. With
the teacher’s encouragement, they overcome the fear of mistakes and
take on a more mature attitude, which is if they misstep during a dif-
ficult movement, they resolve to perform the movement better next
time. Each mistake becomes an opportunity to improve their craft.
For all of mankind, no matter where one is on the path, spiri-
tual advancement comes from learning from one’s mistakes in life.
Unfortunately, this process is often inhibited by the wrongheaded
idea that we are not supposed to make mistakes. A common first
reaction to making a mistake is to become upset, get emotional about
it, or, if it is a serious blunder, to feel burdened, even depressed. We
need, however, to be like the dancer and simply resolve to do better
next time. Thus, a good second reaction is to think clearly about what
happened and why and to find a way to not repeat the mishap in the
future. Perhaps we were not being careful enough, so we resolve to
be more prudent next time to prevent the problem from recurring.
Perhaps we did not know something, and the experience gives us
new knowledge to be used next time.
A fourth comparison is that dance, like spiritual practice, involves
the disciplined control of willpower, awareness and life force. In
dance, willpower is used to move the body through the challeng-
ing positions in time with the music and with grace. Our awareness
needs to constantly focus on the meaning of the song and how that
meaning is being expressed in our facial, hand and body language.
Life force must constantly move through the body in a controlled
manner. In fact, in teaching basic dance movements, Gurudeva would
stress that first you move the life force, the prana, with your mind,
and that prana moves the arm or leg.
For the spiritual side of disciplined control let’s look at the practice
of meditation. Willpower manifests in our ability to sit in medita-
tion without moving. We need to focus awareness constantly on
the object of our meditation without letting our thoughts wander
off into other areas. Life force is controlled through the process of
pranayama, regulating our breathing, and pratyahara, withdrawing
our energies from our external senses into our spiritual center.
A fifth comparison is that both dance and spiritual striving are
nonintellectual. You do not become a good dancer through reading a
book. Though some study is involved, the focus is on the actual prac-
tice of dancing. Our physical body is significantly changed and gains
new abilities through the many years of practice required to become
Perfection: Her hard work and long hours of practice
in perfecting the dance will serve this young woman
well in her spiritual efforts throughout life
an accomplished dancer.
Reading philosophical books is also part of making progress on
the spiritual path. However, most important is the regular practice of
spiritual disciplines, called sadhana. Our emotional, intellectual and
spiritual natures are significantly changed through performing sad-
hana for many years. Gurudeva’s satguru, Siva Yogaswami of Jaffna,
Sri Lanka, stressed this by telling certain devotees whom he saw
spending too much time reading philosophy, “It’s not in books, you
fool.” He urged them to sit, to be still, to control the mind.
The disciplines of dance are well defined, and they include exer-
cises in strength, flexibility, grace and technique. Hinduism’s spiri-
tual disciplines can also be broadly divided into four categories: good
conduct, service, devotion and meditation.
In conclusion, we have looked at five ways in which the attitudes
of mastering dance and progressing on the spiritual path are simi-
lar. An important area everyone can benefit from is improving our
weaknesses. Apply this to your life by choosing one aspect of your
practice which you feel you need to improve. For example, perhaps
on some days you worship in the home shrine before leaving the
home and on other days you skip it. Resolve to become more disci-
plined and spend time every single day in the home shrine. Once you
are regular in this practice, you have strengthened a weak area and
made tangible spiritual progress, just as, little by little, a great dancer
improves her performance.

10 h i n d u i s m t o day j u ly / au g us t / s e p t e m b e r , 2 0 1 6 j u ly / au g us t / s e p t e m b e r , 2 0 1 6 h i n d u i s m t o day 11

Following the Rules
I am saddened that UC Irvine has rejected the
generous gift offered by the Thakkar fam-
ily and the Dharma Civilization Foundation
(DCF) for the creation of an endowed chair
focused on Vedic and Indian Civilization
Studies. Apparently the rejection was con-
sidered necessary because no chair donor is
allowed to require that the chair holder be of
a certain religion—while the DCF’s proposed
qualifications were deemed by the university
to ensure that only a Hindu would qualify.
To be sure, many religions are represented
in modern Indian civilization—though India
is and always has been predominantly Hindu.
Perhaps the DCF erred in not using the term
Hindu Studies, which would have put it on
a par with the many university departments
in Jewish Studies, Islamic Studies, etc. Surely
a chair of Jewish Studies must be deeply
familiar with Jewish tradition, including the
Hebrew language! Surely a chair of Islamic
Studies must be deeply familiar with Islamic
tradition and the language of the Koran! Yet
when Hinduism is taught at all in US schools
and universities, it is generally presented by
non-Hindus. Can anyone imagine a Catholic
chairing a department in Muslim Studies—
or vice versa? Hindus want and deserve the
same respectful treatment that is routinely
granted by American universities to every
other religious group in America. In a nation
founded on the principles of religious free-
dom and separation of church and state, a
public university—if it is to teach about reli-
gions at all—must surely treat all with equal
respect.
I believe UC Irvine’s decision was made in
good faith; they had to follow the rules. If the
university were offered an endowed chair in
Hindu Studies, I am confident the response
would be more positive, and the qualifica-
tions proposed by the DCF would be judged
fully appropriate in that context. But should
UC Irvine still refuse such a gift, I hope the
DCF will turn their attention to other uni-
versities. Rutgers University’s website, for
instance, advertises an “18-chair challenge,”
in which an anonymous donor has pledged
$27 million, intended to match others’ dona-
tions for the endowment of 18 chairs.
I should think the offer of an endowed
chair in Hindu Studies would be irresist-
ible. The recipient would join Oxford as one
of only three universities outside India with
such a department, so far as I can tell from a
Google search (English language only).
Chamundi Sabanathan
Kauai, Hawaii, us
chamundi@sonic.net
12 h i n d u i s m t o day j u ly / au g us t / s e p t e m b e r , 2 0 1 6
LETTERS Connecting Past and Future done to the remixes of our local DJ Nish. The
Embracing our millennia-old faith with bonds of mother and daughter and of friend-
contemporary wisdom, HINDUISM TODAY is ship were an essential feature highlighting
Teaching the Next Generation the risk of chronic diseases. According to unique in capturing the hearts of many gen- the day.
I’m a devout Hindu. Every morning when I Healthy Eating Plate, created by Harvard erations during this global renaissance of the The exhibition stalls held their own with
read the news, I ask myself, “Where is our School of Public Health, half of our meals eternal truths. Nandri, HINDUISM TODAY team! displays of jewelry, baked goods, handicrafts
society heading?” “Why so much decay?” should consist of vegetables and fruits. Ramai Santhirapala and ethnic Indian garments. We flocked
When I see so many of our kids and young- With some minor changes, Hindu vegetar- London, England there to buy Punjabi suits, breezy skirts, tops
sters becoming victims of an increasing ians can lead a healthy lifestyle by substitut- ramais@doctors.org.uk and colorful saris. The aromatic food enticed
number of social ills, I ask myself if we could ing brown or red rice for white rice, substi- the crowds, offering stiff competition to the
have avoided all this or at least minimized tuting whole wheat flour for all-purpose Mother-Daughter Dance cultural offerings on stage. As the sun began
its impact had we set our kids on the path of flour, and reducing cooking oil. Meditating, On March 5, 2016, all roads in northwestern to set on the beautiful community center, the
spirituality and religion right from the start. pranayama (breath control) and doing some Austin led to one place: the Brushy Creek crowds eagerly settled down to dinner, rel-
Everyone asks what my country or com- yoga every day is also great for a healthy body Community Center. It is here we celebrated ishing the vast variety of culinary delights.
munity can do for me. But when I ask myself and mind. the International Women’s Festival. From Everyone left with the feeling of having been
r a s n a k u k r e ja
what can I do for my community and espe- Kumudha Venkatesan the impressive turnout, there is no doubt in treated as a beloved guest.
cially the younger generation, I strongly Atlanta, Georgia, us our Indian community that every event orga- Sugandha Jain
believe that if we can set up the right struc- kumudha_1998@yahoo.com nized by our beloved local trio, Rasna, Kalyani Austin, Texas, us
ture and impart the extraordinary treasures and Bhavani (Memories and Events, Austin) sugandha007@yahoo.com
of Hinduism at a young age, we can surely Various Philosophies is an evolving thread that binds together the
guide our kids not only to become good Hin- I thoroughly enjoyed reading your piece, hearts of us all. Letters with writer’s name, address and daytime
Readers have asked for the address of phone number should be sent to:
dus, but also to become role models for soci- “Hindu Philosophies” in the April/May/June, There’s nothing quite like returning back Letters, Hinduism Today
the Sita Ram Bank in Ayodhya. It is:
ety at large. 2016, issue. The reason we have so many phi- to our nostalgic memories of silk kurtis, dan- 107 Kaholalele Road
As such, I would like to start formal classes losophies is because of the declaration thun- gling earrings and embroidered tops. This Antarrashtriy Sri Sitaram Naam Bank, Kapaa, Hawaii, 96746-9304 USA
to teach Hinduism to kids, ideally from the dered by the Rig Veda, “Truth is one; sages event was an adventuresome expression of Valmiki Temple, or faxed to: (808) 822-4351
Opposite Sri Maniram Das Chhavani Sewa Trust, or visit: www.hinduismtoday.com/letters
age of six. However, given the complexity of express it variously,” in Sanskrit, “Ekam Sat honoring our shared sisterhood in a foreign Sri Ayodhyapuri,
the various Hindu scriptures, I know the task Viprah Bahudha Vadanti.” However, if truth land. One of the main parts of the event was District: Faizabad, Letters may be edited for space and clarity and may
is quite challenging. On this very auspicious is one, then there cannot be three entities, the mother-daughter dances (photo at right) Uttar Pradesh: 224 123 India appear in electronic versions of HINDUISM TODAY.
day of Mahasivaratri, I humbly request your namely, God, soul, and world. Thus monism,
assistance in setting up a proper structure advaita, which perceives a unity of God,
with a formal syllabus of teaching. soul, and world, is the only philosophy that
Eranah Joganna sounds logical and rational. Advaita teaches,
Grand-Port, Mauritius “All this is Brahman” or “Sarvam khilvidam
Dispensing Scriptures’ Gold
ejoganna@gmail.com
Brahman,” which means that God, soul
and world are nothing but manifestations
How to help light find its way to people’s hearts
The Cambell Plan Book Review of Brahman, just as the waves, bubbles and
Thank you so much for publishing the review foams of an ocean are nothing but manifesta- had the good fortune to grow up sur- in a way that welcomes, includes and uplifts
of the amazing book, The Campbell Plan. The
moment I read the review I ordered and read
it. The Campbell Plan is an amazing book
about food and our health.
In the modern world, with an array of diets
tions of the ocean.
Pradeep Srivastava
Albany, California, us
pradeepscool@hotmail.com
I rounded by holy books and by people
who loved them,” Mr. Asan Tejwani
recalls of his early life in Sindh. His
fondness for scripture has remained with
him and given him a passion for gyan daan,
everyone, showing the divine essence of us
all. It is inclusivist, not exclusivist. This is
gold.”
Mr. Tejwani is especially passionate in
holding that, because their teachings on
and health issues, what we eat every day has What Hinduism Means to Me the giving of holy books and sharing of ahimsa, love, acceptance and tolerance are so
become complicated. Author Dr. Thomas I like HINDUISM TODAY magazine. I want to words of wisdom. clear, the Hindu people themselves inherit
Campbell clearly explains everything from clarify that the word Hinduism represents Asan moved to the USA in 1964, worked a special responsibility to be outstanding
plant-based foods to nutrition and the all faiths and religions of a geographical area in structural engineering, then in financial examples of those qualities. Asan Tejwani at Angkor Wat: “I
effects of eating animal products to whole- of southeast Asia known as India or Bharat, services, and is retired today. When he is not “Ancient scripture tells us, dharmo rak- love to travel and discover new forms
some plant-based recipes. Many Hindu veg- or earlier also known as Hindustan. traveling, which he does a great deal of, he shati rakshitaha, dharma protects those of culture and ways of life that souls
etarians assume their diet is nourishing and Hinduism represents all minority or participates in charitable activities, main- who protect it. We protect ourselves and our migrate through on the way to their des-
healthy. majority believers of different faiths. tains an email list to whom he sends daily progeny when we promote and live dharma. tiny. I see myself reflected everywhere.”
The majority of Hindu vegetarians thrive Hinduism is an ocean where rivers of all inspired messages and—as ever—gives away Hinduism Today is a constant supporter of
on white rice, breads made with refined flour, faiths comes to commingle with it. It stands lots and lots of books. this concept, and that is why I support it.”
and season vegetable and lentils with lots of for unity in diversity of different faiths. The “I have given thousands of them to librar- Mr. Tejwani has given generously to the only one dollar a day. Let’s do it!”
refined oil. Milk in India is brimming with majority of believers in India are sanatanis ies and individuals,” he explains, “including Hinduism Today Production Fund, which If, like Mr. Tejwani, you are enthusiastic
chemicals and harmful hormones. According which emerged from the Vedas. Also this hundreds of books by Gurudeva (founder is a part of Hindu Heritage Endowment. to help Hinduism Today dispense the gold
to numerous studies, lifestyle diseases, such path is known as Vedic Dharma. Swami of Hinduism Today), and thousands of Recently, he has also made it a beneficiary in it contains, please consider donating to the
as obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure, Vivekananda preferred to call it Vedantic. Hinduism Today‘s history lessons. It is my his estate plan. Hinduism Today Production Fund or includ-
are caused by a diet rich in animal products, Therefore, my humble request to all is that constant and blessed sacrifice. You never “I want to do all I can to help the magazine ing in your estate plan.
such as meat, processed food items, and we must clearly understand this and not con- know when a holy word will find its way to reach as many people as possible for as long Read about the fund at hheonline.org/pro-
refined products such as, all-purpose flour, fuse Sanatan Dharma with Hinduism. someone’s heart.” as possible. It is our generation’s duty to ductionfund. Subscribe to the Production
sugar and cooking oil. Srigopal Saraff In Hinduism Today, Asan has found a fortify this fund so Hinduism Today stays Fund newsletter at: gurudeva.org/email-
Today, India is the diabetes capital of the Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh fellow dispenser of teachings. “The maga- strong for 1,000 years, no matter what the news. Ask for our Planned Giving Toolkit
world. Study after study has shown that a zine has picked up the spirit of Swami Vive- world goes through. We can all make that by contacting one of our monastic staff at
diet rich in vegetables and fruits will reduce kananda, articulating the Hindu renaissance effort and give whatever we can, even if it’s 1-888-464-1008 or hhe@hindu.org.
j u ly / au g us t / s e p t e m b e r , 2 0 1 6 h i n d u i s m t o day 13

The greatest service one can do for
people is to help them experience God
Swami Omkarananda (1930-2000), founder of Omkarananda Ashram, Rishikesh
Association with sages should be made
because thoughts are so persistent. The
sage has already overcome the mind and
remains in peace. Being in his proximity
helps to bring about this condition in
others, otherwise there is no meaning in
seeking his company. The guru provides
the needed strength for this, unseen by
others. Ramana Maharshi (1879-1950)
Disciple: O wise and all-knowing one,
take me to the realm of perfect peace.
Master: If I take you to that realm, it
will no longer be peaceful. Anonymous
D I D YO U K N OW ?
The Beloved Saint Andal
ach hindu sect has its own saints,
E sages and gurus. For Vaishnavites, the
twelve Tamil poet-saints called Alvars
were devoted to Vishnu and His avatars.
Among them was Andal, the 9th-century
poet-saint who was in love with Krishna.
As a baby, Andal was left at a temple
in Villiputtur, near Madurai. A devotee of
Vishnu found her, believed the child to be a
sign of God’s grace and raised her as his own.
She was named Godai or “gift of Mother
Earth.”
Godai was renamed Andal after her father
had a dream of Krishna demanding that
His garlands be gifted to devotees only after
Godai had worn them. Thenceforth she was
known as Andal, the girl who ruled over the
Lord.
Andal is credited with two literary works,
the Tiruppavai and Nachiar Tirumozhi, both
rich in philosophical, religious and aesthetic
content. These works form an important
part of the daily religious life of Vaishnavites
in South India. Daily services in most
14 h i n d u i s m t o day j u ly / au g us t / s e p t e m b e r , 2 0 1 6
What a piece of work is a man, how noble in
reason, how infinite in faculties, in form and
moving how express and admirable, in action
how like an angel, in apprehension how
like a god! William Shakespeare (1564-
1616), English poet, playwright and actor
Do not look upon yoga as something beyond
you or as calling for any extraordinary
efforts. You can remain in your station of
life, carry on your work and at the same
time embark on the yogic path. Do japa,
prayer, kirtan, meditation and asanas
regularly. Swami Sivanada (1887-
1963), founder of Divine Life Society
Srivaishnava temples and households include
singing portions of the Tiruppavai with great
religious fervor by women, men and children
of all ages, especially in Tamil Nadu.
Andal’s works, particularly the Thiruppavai,
have been studied extensively by scholars
and translated into a number of languages
over the centuries. Andal’s life and legacy
forms an important part of the Bhakti move-
ment. Historical records suggest that by the
12th century she had become a major inspi-
ration to Hindu women in South India and
elsewhere.
From the Thirupavvai: “Worldlings, listen
to what we shall do to observe these sacred
days. We shall sing the feet of the Supreme
One; lying on the milky sea, bathe betimes.
No ghee, no milk;
No shade for eyes;
No flowers for hair.
indra sharma
Avoid all sins;
Spread no scandal;
Give alms, make offerings, all we can, and
joyfully seek our savior.”
He does not live in vain who employs his
wealth, his thought, and his speech to
advance the good of others. Anonymous
On the terrace of a monastery high in the
mountains, an old Zen Buddhist monk stood
next to a much younger monk while they
both contemplated the unspeakable void of
misty space above. After a silence, the old
monk gently declared: “Ah, my son, one day
all this void will be yours.”
Where seekest thou? That freedom, friend,
this world nor that can give. In books and
temples, vain thy search. Thine only is the
hand that holds the rope that drags thee
on. Then cease lament. Let go thy hold,
sannyasin bold! Say “Om Tat Sat, Om!”
Swami Vivekananda (1863–1902), Song
of the Sannyasin
The suffering that ignorant men inflict
upon themselves can hardly be contrived
by their enemies. Tirukural, 843
What you seek is seeking you. Rumi
(1207-1273), poet
A man trying to understand the nature of
God asked him: “God, how long is a million
years to you?” God answered, “A million
years is like a minute.” Then the man
asked, “God, how much is a million dollars
to you?” And God replied, “A million
dollars is like a penny.” Finally the man
asked, “ God, could you give me a penny?”
And God said, “In a minute!”
Openness has no location in particular.
It contains everything. It contains
thoughts and the absence of thoughts.
It contains feelings and no feelings,
sights and no sights, sounds and silence.
Within openness, everything is invited
and Everything is accepted. There is
BASICS
Daily Yoga Practices
evout hindus perform daily
D vigil, called sandhya upasana,
usually before dawn. This sacred
period of puja, japa, chanting, singing,
ha†ha yoga, meditation and scriptural
study is the foundation of personal life.
Each day hundreds of millions of
Hindus awaken for the last fifth of the
night, bathe, don fresh clothing, apply
sectarian marks, called tilaka, and sit in a
clean, quiet place for religious disciplines.
Facing east or north, the devotional
puja rites of bhakti yoga are performed.
Hatha yoga, hymn singing, japa and
chanting are often included. Then fol-
lows scriptural study and meditation,
listening to the sound current and con-
templating the moon-like inner light
during brahma muhurta, the auspicious
no way to be open because there
is no difference between being WOW! That has to be the most
open and being. Wu Hsin, (403- activism stickers ever put on a PC!
221 bce?), Taoist philosopher
Be humble, for you are made of the
earth; be noble, for you are made
of the stars. Serbian saying
Guruji is encouraging
selflessness, so I made
it into an IC, an
Impersonal Computer
They know not the evil fruits karma
brings. They choose not to
find jnana for liberation from
karma. “Renounce karma and be
liberated”—this Vedic teaching
they know not. They who wallow
in karma will never the rich
harvest reap. Tirumantiram, verse
2557
m e g h a v i s h wa n at h
It is fitting to describe the Self as
awareness dissolving into itself, as
when you come out of it, there is
no experience to remember, only
a new perspective, a total perspective
from which you then view the mind. it. From birth to death and back to birth, we
Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami, live in the ocean of being and see only the
publisher of HINDUISM TODAY fishes of objective perception. We neglect to
notice that these swim in the ocean of being.
The Self is so simple, so uncomplicated, Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami
that the ramified external mind overlooks (1927-2001), founder of HINDUISM TODAY
hour-and-a-half period before dawn.
The duly initiated practice advanced
yogas, such as those revealed in Merging
with Siva—but only as directed by
their guru, knowing that unless firmly
harnessed, the kundalini can manifest
uncontrollable desires. Through the day,
karma yoga, selfless religious service, is
performed at every opportunity. Besides
these yogas of doing, Hindus practice the
central yoga of being—living a joyful,
positive, harmonious life.
The Vedas declare, “The mind, indeed,
is this fleeting world. Therefore, it
should be purified with great effort.
One becomes like that which is in one’s
mind—this is the everlasting secret.”
From Dancing with Siva by Sivaya
s . r a ja m
Subramuniyaswami
j u ly / au g us t / s e p t e m b e r , 2 0 1 6 h i n d u i s m t o day 15
 Tools for Transformation FROM THE AGAMAS

How Does Siva Create?

A Character Building Workbook A philosophical discussion on the nature of Siva’s body and its ruling energy
64 Character Qualities to Help Build, Transform and Improve Life
The following is a translation from the Mrigendra
By Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami Agama, chapter three. This begins a two-part series as an
analysis on the nature of the Supreme Lord, Siva, and His
body, consisting of Sakti’s power. The author presents an
argument for those questioning the philosophy and gives the
As a tool to help children and adults build, answer to help solve the mystery of Siva and His sakti.
transform and improve their character, Satguru

T
has developed a list of sixty-four character he ultimate and ever-existing reality (vastu) is eternal,
being not conditioned by time. It is all-pervasive, being
qualities and presented them in this workbook. not conditioned by space. It creates the bodies, body
A sample two-page spread is shown below. organs, worlds and the worldly objects in a successive and
simultaneous order. So, it should be known that the supreme reality
is endowed with unrivaled power (sakti) for effecting such creation.
Since that sakti is active in nature and since action could be pos-
sible only when associated with necessary instruments (organs), it
is ascertained that the ultimate Lord who performs ^ve functions
(Siva) is possessed of a body. Moreover, since action and instruments
are intrinsically present in Him, it should be known that such pres-
ence of body and organs has not occurred to Him in some intermedi-
ate stage, and that such occurrence is spontaneous. Even such body
and organs are made up of sakti only. That sakti, the essential con-
scious form of Isvara, is not an unconscious entity. Even though this
body is only one, it becomes innumerable in view of the countless
things to be known and countless actions to be done.
Karma cannot be the causal force for the creation and mainte-
nance of the world. Nor could prakriti be the cause. Since karma and
prakriti are inert, they cannot function without being activated by
an intelligent being. Nor could an individual self create the world,
since it is dependent on some other source for knowing and doing.
By the process of elimination, it is ascertained that the great Isvara is
the ultimate cause.
For the enlightened, He presents Himself as Siva only (Siva being
free from the ^vefold function). From the point of view of liberated
50. Self-Confident
Read here—bit.ly/self-confident50—how young Anand acquires self-confidence
through mastering woodworking and other skills with the help of his father,
empowering him to face the most difficult challenges as he goes through life. souls, Siva shines forth as the ultimate, transcendental reality alone,
being not involved in the cosmic functions.
Some persons object: “Since the relationship between the effected
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things (products) and the Supreme Lord of the world is not evidently
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ô K+ô3ô33ô]õ K V!õôô ^õôSU 3ôLRôôK!õôRôôL3UU 3ôLW!
impaired with a defect of non-apprehension of the relationship

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V*
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ôõô33 ^õô ôõô
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Comparing the actions of one who is self-confident to one who is self-doubting ^õô ôK!U 3õS
ôõôL
ôõôgX5ô3õô ôõU5ô3ôL between the smoke in a kitchen and the ^re on a mountain”—their

Situation
ôS Rô
UôKH
You get an unexpected offer to start
a promising new business, and…
Self-Confidence
remembering past successes,
bravely accept the challenge.
indra sharma
Self-Doubt
argument goes like this.
are assailed by self-doubt and tell
the principals you have enough ASSIGNMENT:
5ô3ôSSôô3LSô35ôSô LU
õXôô ^õôL
3ô True. Even though there is no relationship between the kitchen
happening in your life. ô^
V! L!SL!
ô 
3S!KH smoke and the mountain ^re, certainly there is an irrefutable rela-
When the guru gives you a rely on your conviction that fear you are not as strong as  ôU
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ôáááááááááááááááááááá
new spiritual assignment that
seems impossible, you…
One day you wake up with a
great idea that will change
your life forever, so you…
Order: www.minimela.com; books@hindu.org; phone: 877-255-1510; Amazon.com
tionship between the ^re and the smoke. Thus there is no defect in
we are each a divine being he seems to think and decide
MY THOUGHTS ON THE BENEFITS OF SELF-CONFIDENCE: __________________________
and set out to succeed. to ignore his instructions. inferring the presence of ^re from the smoke. One form, two forces: Ardhanarishvara is both
______________________________________________________________________________
use affirmations to enhance your
confidence and set out on the
conclude this is just another wild
idea for which you have neither the ______________________________________________________________________________
Another objection is raised: “It is observed that an action is pos- male and female, both body and power. The two
new journey into the future. knowledge or the skills, and do nothing.
______________________________________________________________________________
sible only for him who is associated with a body. Isvara may be the energies remain inseparable yet distinct.
ultimate doer, but He is not to be considered as bodiless. He should
be considered an embodied being. Even in the worldly phenomena, Dr. S. P. Sabharathnam Sivacharyar, of the Adi Saiva priest
Softcover, 132 pages, fully illustrated, $19.95 action is seen only in him who is an embodied being. In that case, lineage, is an expert in ancient Tamil and Sanskrit, specializing in the
ISBN 978-1-934145-58-6; Ebook 978-1-934145-59-13 Isvara, being an embodied lord, becomes like us.” (To be continued.) Vedas, Agamas and Shilpa Shastras. This excerpt is from his recent
translation of the Mrugendra Agama.
j u ly / au g us t / s e p t e m b e r , 2 0 1 6 h i n d u i s m t o day 17
 Shirdi temple: The marble image of Shirdi
Sai Baba (1838-1918) is enshrined just
v i v e k i va n

behind the crypt holding his earthly remains

(under the garland); (inset) photo taken
about 1915, three years before his death

I
n 1855 a young boy thought to be
16 years old arrived in the town of
Shirdi. According to the traditional
account of his life, Shri Sai Satcharitra,
he was an ascetic. He took up residence
under a neem tree, meditated almost
continuously and remained for three
years before leaving as unexpectedly as
he arrived. He returned again in 1858 and
remained in Shirdi for the rest of his life.
The villagers called him Sai Baba, but
the holy man was of unknown origin
and even religion—he dressed like a Sufi,
but his teachings were more Hindu than
anything else. During his lifetime, he
gained a local following among Hindus
and Muslims.
Today those who worship him number
in the millions, and the Shirdi temple’s
income is second only to Tirupati. He
has hundreds more temples not only in
India but in the UK, Malaysia, Germany,
France and the US. Shrines for the saint
have been installed for worship both in
Vaishnavite and Saivite temples in India
and elsewhere. There is no worldwide

d i n o d i a . c o m ( i ns e t w i k i m e d i a )
or even India-wide organization of
devotees driving any of this—it is all at
the inspiration of local devotees.
Hinduism Today’s editors have
long been aware of Shirdi Sai Baba’s
popularity, and last year personally
encountered the movement at the
Sri Siddhi Vinayaka Cultural Center
S P E C I A L F E AT U R E in Sacramento, California. It was
a Thursday evening, and dozens of
devotees had gathered for bhajan,
The great Maharastrian saint whose worship, arati and prasadam before a
life-sized statue of the saint that had
austere, miracle-filled life changed all who been installed in this small Ganesha
came in contact with him is attracting an temple. The experience of this devotional
evening inspired us to look further into
ever-growing devoted following today the life and present-day worship of this
saint whose popularity is on the rise.

18 h i n d u i s m t o day j u ly / au g us t / s e p t e m b e r , 2 0 1 6 j u ly / au g us t / s e p t e m b e r , 2 0 1 6 h i n d u i s m t o day 19
T
here are two main biographies of “There
“T T will be no dearth of anything in the Baba was instrumental in the making of the 1977
Shirdi Sai Baba. The most influential houses of my devotees.” An impressive col-
h Bollywood film, “Shirdi Ke Sai Baba,” starring
is the Shri Sai Satcharitra, written in lection of the saint’s photos and sayings is the
le Sudhir Dalvi. According to Sekhar Boddupalli of
Marathi in 1916 by one of Baba’s dev- 2200-page coffee-table book, Shirdi Sai (avail- California, it was this film that launched Shirdi

otees, Shri Hemand Pant Dabholkar, then
adapted and translated into English by N. V.
Gunaji in 1944. Also important are the writ-
ings of B.V. Narasimhaswami of Tamil Nadu.
He popularized the saint in South India, and
between the 1940s and 1960s held yearly
conferences on Shirdi Sai Baba.
According to the Sai Satcharitra, the young
Sai Baba led an ascetic life, stayed aloof from
the people, and meditated under a neem tree
day and night. When he returned in 1858, he
took on his now famous dress of a one-piece
kafni robe and cloth cap, both normally as-
sociated with Muslims, and interacted more
with the local people, some of whom con-
sidered him mad. Those who came to revere
him convinced the sadhu to move into an
n at i o n a l g e o g r a p h i c m e g a k i t c h e ns
aable from kumarannavarapu@ymail.com). Sai Baba’s present-day popularity. The film is a
Among his prominent disciples was Upas- dramatic account of the saint’s life, including nu-
ni
n Maharaj who in turn was the teacher of merous miracles. Since then, eleven films have
Meher
M Baba. Meher Baba was born in a Zoro- been made on him, the latest in 2012.
astraian
a family and became quite popular in Excerpts from the movie’s Wikipedia entry
the
t West from the 1930s onward. He was one give some sense of the movie: “He showed Gan-
of
o the early Indian teachers to achieve fame pat Rao that he is one with Vithoba and Bhag-
in
n the West. It is an unusual connection of wan Shri Krishna; he demonstrated to Som Dev
Shirdi
S Sai Baba to the import of Eastern mys- that he is one with Bhagwan Shri Shiv; former
ticism
t to the West, as Sai is otherwise not jailbird Heera regained his eyesight with Sai’s
well known outside the Indian community.
w blessing. During all of these miracles, Sai went
wikimedia.com The popularity of Shirdi Sai Baba has door to door begging for alms and food. The leg-
grown
g in two separate movements. About end grew, people flocked all over to witness this
75
7 percent are direct followers of Shirdi Sai new Messiah, one whom the Muslims called
Baba
B and 25 percent of Satya Sai Baba of Put- Allah Sai, Christians Jesus Sai, Sikhs Nanak Sai,
taparti.
t The latter knew Narasimhaswami in and Hindus Bhola Sai. He always blessed Hindus
the
t early 1940s, declared himself the reincar- with Allah Malik (Allah bless you) and Muslims

n at i o n a l g e o g r a p h i c m e g a k i t c h e ns
abandoned mosque. He continued to live on nation
n of Shirdi Sai Baba and became quite
alms and, in the manner of Hindu sadhus, own body. He observed both Muslim and widely followed. At any individual temple
kept a constantly burning dhuni, or sacred Hindu forms of worship, and taught the im- or shrine to Shirdi Sai Baba, one or the other World of Sai: (counter-clockwise from top
fire. He would give ash to devotees from this portance of charity, devotion, the guru and of these groups tends to predominate. The left) with devotees in Shirdi toward the end of
fire for use in healing. That fire still burns the dangers of atheism. main temple in Shirdi itself is solely in the his life; the gold roof of the samadhi temple
today in Shirdi. From 1910, his popularity Devotees often cite eleven sayings of Sai hands of direct followers, although in 2004 in Shirdi; (inset) tens of thousands a day visit
spread outside Shirdi to Mumbai, and many Baba which include: “No harm shall befall its management was taken over by the state the temple; map showing temple location,
people started to visit him. him who steps on the soil of Shirdi;” “Trust government of Maharasthra on account of is- about four hours’ drive from Mumbai; the
He was known for performing miracles, in me and your prayer shall be answered;” sues with institutional responsibility. It is the ornate temple to Sai in Sikkim, north India;
including lighting lamps fueled with water, “My mortal remains will speak from my only government-run Shirdi Sai Baba temple. part of the Shirdi temple’s halls which feed
restoring a blind man’s sight and having the tomb;” “Those who see my advice or help Where the groups connect is in the ever- 40,000 people a day; the kitchen’s state-of-
wounds of another’s beating appear on his will immediately receive my answers;” and growing popularity of the saint. Satya Sai the-art solar-powered steam generator

An Abundance of Gold Adorns the Temple of Shirdi Sai Baba

shirdi sai temple trust

(Clockwise from upper
right) Write
Mumbai
• ✸ Shirdi Sai Temple

h i n d u i s m t o d ayy

sai mandir sikkim

20 h i n d u i s m t o day j u ly / au g us t / s e p t e m b e r , 2 0 1 6 j u ly / au g us t / s e p t e m b e r , 2 0 1 6 h i n d u i s m t o day 21
 with Ram Ram.”
The Main Temple at Shirdi
It is for boons that most devotees come to
Shirdi, and there are many stories of those
boons being granted. The saint himself
promised, “He who comes to my samadhi,
his sorrow and suffering shall cease.” Faith
in real world miracle is a major factor in the
Shirdi temple’s great wealth, which has in-
cluded gifts of millions of dollars at a time
and allowed the temple to develop huge fa-
cilities for pilgrims and large philanthropic
projects. More than half the temple’s income
goes to such work.
The 2,100-square-foot main temple is
called the Samadhi Mandir. Its central hall,
with pillars and arches encased in gold, can
hold about 600 people at a time in front of
the statue and burial crypt of the saint. The
area around the central hall displays artifacts
from his lifetime, such as his shoes, cooking
pot, grinding wheels and some garments.
Worship here follows the standard pat-
tern of a Hindu temple, with morning arati
at 4:30 and abhishekam or bath at 5:05. From
5:40 am the temple is open to devotees. There
are various other ceremonies through the day,
Shirdi Sai around the world: (below,
left to right) shrine in Shree Ganapathy
Temple, London; Sai Pragya Dham
temple in Delhi established by Swami
Pragyanand (upper right in photo)
From Delhi to London to California, Devotees Seek His Boons and Blessings
h i n d u i s m t o d ay
22 h i n d u i s m t o day j u ly / au g us t / s e p t e m b e r , 2 0 1 6
until at 11 pm the saint’s statue is wrapped in
a shawl, a mosquito net is lowered around it
and he is considered at rest till morning. In
addition to visiting the temple itself, devotees
pay their respects at various places around
town associated with Shirdi Sai Baba’s life,
such as the neem tree where he first meditat-
ed long hours upon his arrival in the village.
Harun Trikha wrote of his experience
upon entering the temple, “The walls of the
Shirdi sanctorum were resounding with the
chant of ‘Om Sai, Om Sai, Jaya, Jaya Sai.’ My
eyes took in scores of devotees giving vent
to their emotions in sync with the raising
of their arms, their eyes shining with tears.
Others had their eyes tightly shut, their faces
ecstatic with bliss, unquestioning faith and
devotion. A magnificent aura of the saint’s
spiritual power permeated the atmosphere.”
Temples in India and Worldwide
India today has many independent temples
to Shirdi Sai Baba. In Delhi itself there is the
Shirdi Sai Baba temple at Lodhi Road, found-
ed in 1968, and the Sai Pragyadham, founded
by Mahamandaleshwar Swami Pragyanand
in 1994. Swamiji first visited Shirdi town in
1970, and it was upon forming an inner con-
nection with the saint that he left his teach-
ing post at a university and took sannyas.
Swamiji estimates there are 100,000
temples large and small to Shirdi Sai Baba in
India. Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh alone has
four hundred; Delhi has 15 large temples and
many small ones. Outside of India, Swami
p h a l g i r o ta
estimates 80 percent of the temples have in-
stalled the saint’s statue at the request of dev-
otees. He believes that 98 percent of Shirdi
Sai Baba‘s devotees are Hindus.
Asked the secret of the saint’s popular-
ity, Swami Pragyanand replied frankly, “It is
very plain and simple: you ask him anything
and Baba grants it to you. There are many
stories of people saved from illness, blessed
with children and wealth. His life was full of
miracles. Clearly people get associated with
him because they got something from him.”
In Wimbledon, London, the Sai Mandir
inside the Shree Ghanapathy Temple was
opened in 1981 as a place for devotees of Satya
Sai Baba to congregate. At a recent gather-
ing there, our contacts inform us, about 200
people were present, ranging in age from
young to old. There was bhajan, recitation of
Gayatri Mantra 108 times, arati to both Satya
Sai Baba and Shirdi Sai Baba and prasadam
served to all.
Several organizations have established
dedicated Shirdi Sai temples in England, in-
cluding Shri Dam in Nottingham and the
Shirdi Sai Baba Temple in Leicester. There are
individual shrines for the saint in the New
Malden Murugan Temple, the Shree Ven-
kateswaran Temple and others.
The worship of a statue of Shirdi Sai Baba
installed in a consecrated Hindu temple has
attracted some criticism, most notably by the
Shankaracharya of Dwarka in 2014 when he
stated the saint “should not be worshiped
with Hindu Gods” in temples. A court case
h i n d u i s m t o d ay
followed, as did further critical remarks by He was also of the view that a non-Saivite home town in Andhra Pradesh. At the time,
the Shankaracharya on the saint. The follow- saint should not be installed in a temple he said, hardly anyone went. Today, the whole
ing year he submitted a formal apology, and where Agama-based Siva Lingam worship is street is closed for the Thursday night wor-
the case was dropped. performed. ship. Sekhar left India 30 years ago and is now
We asked the opinion of Dr. S. P. Sab- Hinduism Today spoke with Vishal Khan- an executive in a biotech company.
harathnam Sivacharyar, an expert in Saiva na, who maintains a popular shrine to Shirdi Asked about the worship of the saint in
Agama whose translations are featured in Sai Baba in his Mississauga home. He said the temples, Shekhar pointed out, “At one point
each issue of Hinduism Today. In his view, saint’s statue has been installed in ten tem- in history, even Krishna was a human being,
a separate temple may be built for any saint, ples in Ontario. Vishal explained, “He is boon but He ultimately became an object of wor-
ancient or recent. But the statue of a saint giving. Here in Canada devotees have been ship.” Shekhar offered a simple explanation
can be installed in a Siva Temple only if he blessed with children and cured of cancer. for the installation of the saint in existing
or she was of the Saivite lineage and long rec- The goal of worshiping Shirdi Sai Baba is to temples: “It is the temple committees who
ognized as a great religious leader. The rec- be a good human being. You can get moksha want the statues, because they want the
ommended time is a thousand years, but he by just chanting ‘Sai, Sai’ if you can come out devotees.”
allowed that a saint of widespread celebrity from your desires for family, wealth and fame.” “To me,” Shekhar confided, “Shirdi Sai
could be installed sooner. The proper loca- After visiting the Sacramento temple, we Baba doesn’t belong to Hinduism; in fact, he
tion in the temple for the statue would be in spoke with Sekhar Boddupalli, who had in- doesn’t belong to any ‘ism.’ His focus was on
the southern or northern side of the second spired the local group there. As a child he harmony in the life of his devotees.” Part of
outer walkway around the central sanctum. had attended a Shirdi Sai Baba temple in his his appeal today, Shekhar went on, is that “his
devotees do not feel bound by the tradition
that only the priests go near the statue. Many
Devoted worship: (above) Shirdi Sai devotees at the Sri Siddhi Vinayaka Cultural Center of the temples in the US don’t even have
temple in Sacramento, California, pose for a photo during Thursday evening satsang; (below priests; the devotees do everything. It is like
left to right) London temple; Sacramento temple priest blesses the food offerings before a socialist Hindu God, an open-access God,
devotees themselves perform arati (the temple’s central Ganesha murti is at back left) independent of caste, creed or gender.” ∏π
h i n d u i s m t o d ay
j u ly / au g us t / s e p t e m b e r , 2 0 1 6 h i n d u i s m t o day 23
 Touring Shirdi: (counter-
T
clockwise
c from top left) Ram-
navami
n celebration; Khandoba
Mandir
M where the temple priest
first called Baba “Sai;” 1000-
room
r facility for devotees; vendor
selling
s single roses, the recom-
mended
m offering to Sai; Lendi
Garden
G in the temple complex is
popular
p with visitors; outside the
huge
h feeding hall is a sculpture
of
o Shridi Sai Baba preparing food
for
fo devotees—it is said he mixed
allphotos: dinodia.com

a boiling pot of food with his bare

hands;
h his personal effects on dis-
play
p at the temple; main temple
complex
c entrance

Scenes from the Temple Town of Shirdi

24 h i n d u i s m t o day j u ly / au g us t / s e p t e m b e r , 2 0 1 6 j u ly / au g us t / s e p t e m b e r , 2 0 1 6 h i n d u i s m t o day 25
ART
Drawing on Delhi’s Artistic Depths
A major exhibition in the capitol showcases India’s remarkable trove of creative talent
By Rajiv Malik, New Delhi
hile there are 35,000 cities and
W towns in America, India is home to
over 640,000. This unusual demo-
graphic dispersal, and the conse-
quent resilience of local cultures, gives rise to
an astonishing array of artists and craftsmen
on the Indian subcontinent. This cultural
remoteness has protected traditional crafts-
men and artisans from the modern erosions
to which most nations are susceptible, re-
sulting in an array of art not seen elsewhere
in the world. This is especially important if
you believe, as the American journalist Hen-
drik Willem Van Loon did, that “The arts are
an even better barometer of what is happen-
ing in our world than the stock market or the
debates in Congress.”
Indian art was celebrated in a big way at
the National Stadium in New Delhi from
January 14 to 17 this year, under the banner
of India Art Festival (IAF). Included were
nearly 40 galleries and over 300 individual
artists, from fifty different cities from In-
dia and overseas. I was sent to report on the
event, and my daughter, Palak, joined me as
one of the photographers.
Part of our mission was to assess whether
the nation’s traditional arts are surviving. It
is well known that contemporary trends are
the driving force of art, in India as elsewhere,
so we were there to discover evidence that
the spiritual centrality of Indian art was still
alive and well. While we found some strong
survivors, it was clear after hours of walk-
ing the halls that modern art is the rage, at
least in the commercial world of art repre-
sented here. No surprise, then, that the event
was billed as “a contemporary art fair.” In-
deed, that very billing may have discouraged
some of the more traditional artists from
participating.
p h a l g i r o ta
For the past five years IAF has assembled
the movers and shakers of Indian art from
Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Banga-
lore, Hyderabad, Ahmadabad, Jaipur and a
few overseas countries like Canada, UK and
Singapore. This year 150 booths housed art
galleries and individual artists who partici-
pated with a wide range of artworks, includ-
ing paintings, sculptures, installations, pho-
tographs, digital prints and video art—all
forms of visual art in all mediums. Conversa-
tions, seminars and tutorials rounded out the
events.
The festival was inaugurated by Vinay
26 h i n d u i s m t o day j u ly / au g us t / s e p t e m b e r , 2 0 1 6
Sahasrabuddhe, the National Vice President
of the BJP, Indian art scholar Saryu Doshi and
Sharon. Special guests seen at the VIP open-
ing included Arpana Caur, Ramesh Bidhuri
(Member of Parliament), Sandeep Marwha
and Anurudh Lal, General Secretary, Delhi
Pradesh Congress.
Speaking during the inauguration, Mr. Ra-
jendra, India Art Festival Director, proudly
offered, “I am delighted to bring this festival
to Delhi, having organized it successfully for
the past five years in Mumbai and arranged
one international event in Korea. We bring
democracy to art, offering emerging, inde-
pendent artists the opportunity to get dis-
covered and enjoy the attention alongside the
established, master artists.”
Harish Kumar: We strolled through the
exhibit, stopping to interview those artists
The visual arts: (clockwise from opposite
page) Harish Kumar stands by his modern,
vina-playing Ganesha; Sunando Basu
with his contemporary Siva behind; village
ladies by Narahari Bhawandia; Akshita
Aggarwal holds one of her creations
who had a spiritual dimension to their work.
The first we met was Harish Kumar, age 43,
whose Studio Endless Thoughts is based in
Faridabad, Haryana. Harish spoke of his life-
time of work at the easel. “I have been paint-
ing for the past 25 years. Most of my paint-
ings are inspired by Radha and Krishna. I
p h a l g i r o ta
have also been inspired by Buddha.
“I enjoy my craft the most when working
on paintings of Radha, Krishna and Lord Ga-
nesha. I have made thousands of paintings on
the subject of Radha-Krishna. While paint-
ing Radha-Krishna, I can visualize so much
about their dancing movements and also
how they see and relate to the gopis. The love
of Radha-Krishna is selfless and, therefore,
very inspiring. Whenever I go to Vrinda-
van and visit the ashrams, interact with the
saints, I find as if I am in a different world
altogether. There I meet some women who
are like gopis and they are ever blissful. Even
some foreigners I see there are blissful. I like
their state of mind. I like the way people in
Vrindavan forget the world and live in a di-
vine world of their own.
“One story about Lord Siva narrates how
during the Holi festival, while all other de-
p h a l g i r o ta
vatas and Gods played Holi with colors, Lord
Siva played it with the vibhuti or ashes. This
inspired me to also paint Lord Siva. I try to
use colors to express my feelings and ideas.”
“Once I had determined to become an art-
ist, I did not bother whether I would get any
payment or recognition. I only wanted to be-
come an artist and create paintings. It seems
it is due to some samskaras from previous
births, because in this birth I have no one
in my family who had interest in art or was
an artist. I see all the Gods in my dreams.”
Visit: www.pbcnet.com/artgallery/artists/
HarishKumar
Akshita Aggarwal: Next we visited the
gallery of an energetic 26-year-old Delhi art-
ist, Akshita Aggarwal, who also responded
enthusiastically to our queries: “I have made
Tanjore paintings for the past seven years.
My mother wanted to be an artist but could
not. She inspired me, and I became an artist
to fulfill her dreams. She is very possessive
about certain of my paintings and would not
allow me to sell them at any cost.
“I did a lot of research into the famed Tan-
p h a l g i r o ta
jore style. My work improved under the
guidance of my guruji, Ritu Singhal, who is
an art teacher. She taught me how to paint in
the never bel Tanjore way. In Tanjore today
j u ly / au g us t / s e p t e m b e r , 2 0 1 6 h i n d u i s m t o day 27
you find the original southern style. Then
there are northern and fake styles also. I do
my work in the original, classical, pure South
Indian style. You will see the embossed por-
tions in my paintings, which are not present
in the North Indian style.
“Today we have forgotten or are ignor-
ing our ancient art forms, including Tanjore
paintings. Fake Tanjore are being made, and
instead of real gold people have started using
synthetic materials. Instead of the kundan
stones they have started using glass stones.
But I am trying to preserve the old forms.
“I have done a lot of work on Lord Ganesha.
I have painted Goddess Lakshmi, but some-
how cannot sell it. I have painted many other
Gods but mainly focused on Lord Ganesha.
“I have never painted with commercial
success in mind. My paintings come from
my heart. To earn money, I teach painting
to others. But I believe true art comes from
one’s heart. If someone asks me to do some-
thing for money, that is not possible for me. I
survive mainly from my income from teach-
ing. When a painting is sold, a part of the
money is offered to God.” Visit: behance.net/
akshitaggarwal
Sunando Basu: This Kolkata-based art-
ist, 38, is also a pranic healer. “Right now my
focus is on spirituality. I am trying to blend
my spiritual practices with my art. Ten years
back a miraculous incident happened in my
life and I connected to higher beings. It is the
guidance of the higher beings that helped
28 h i n d u i s m t o day j u ly / au g us t / s e p t e m b e r , 2 0 1 6
me iin pursuing
i what did
h t I di
d thereafter.
d th ftt IIn ffact,
t “Perhaps the whole point of having idols
it is not just one miracle that happened. All
this started in the year 2005.
“There is a popular term in the West-
ern world, drawn originally from the East,
known as akashic records or akashic knowl-
edge, which is accessible to everyone who
is open to it. I am trying to deeply explore
it and understand it. I used to experience
something like this from my childhood but
got disconnected with it for some time and
then again was reconnected. At one stage I
started seeing light in my vision; I used to get
up at night and have visions of light, but at
that time I could not understand what was
happening to me. In low lights I could not see
people but could see their auras. Then I start-
ed doing research on these subjects. I studied
pranic healing, which explained many things.
It was related to akashic records. It is said that
a lot of inventions happen in people’s dreams.
I want to connect with the blue power. I have
felt it around me many times, but to see it
with my eyes, that will be the real privilege.
“I have tried to connect Lord Siva with
quantum physics. Siva is an icon. Simi-
larly Krishna is an icon. Rituals are some-
thing that matter to me. I want go to the
core and to the base of all these. There
is a relation between quantum physics,
kundalini yoga and Lord Siva. In my Siva
painting I have tried to highlight the snake
and also connected it with kundalini, vor-
tex and quantum physics. I am a devotee
of Ma Kali and have painted Her as well.
and worshiping them is this exchange of en-
ergy. In all religions, whether they worship
an idol or not, they have mass congregations
in which prayers are done together, in a sa-
cred place. It is considered to remove obsta-
cles and provide more peace to the individual.
For instance, during Durga Puja, a popular
religious event in which the idol of Ma Dur-
ga is worshiped by hundreds of people at a
time, a similar exchange of energy takes
place in which positivity is restored within
the energy field of those who are involved in
the rituals. Perhaps this was the ancient way
of healing the masses.” Visit: sunando.com
Narahari Bhawandia: This traditional
artist from Hyderabad, 60 years young, has
spent his life capturing the culture of the
Telangana region in Andhra. “My paintings
depict the rustic lifestyle of the people, es-
pecially the women of Telangana region. I
minutely cover the kind of dresses they wear
p h a l g i r o ta
Energetic aesthetic: (clockwise from
right) a divinely endowed zebu bull by
Vivek Kumavat; Naresh Kumar with
several of his smaller sculptures; visitors
to the festival shop for art supplies;
inside the hall each artist was given
a gallery to display their work
in the villages. I have been doing this for the
past fifteen years. I have gone deep into the
tribal areas and villages of this region where
the women sometimes just wear saris and do
not wear anything on the upper portions of
the body. They wear the saris in a particular
style of their own. One can never see that
kind of life and dresses in the cities.
“They wear very big nose pins, which are
also a special characteristic of the women
of those areas. They even tie and arrange
their hair in a very typical way. They wear
crown types of things on their head which
have a golden look and are rich ornamentally.
Their hair pins and other diamond-studded
pa l a k m a l i k
jewelry add to their unique character. I use
my creativity in portraying these wom-
en in graceful and beautiful ways.” Visit:
artzolo.com/users/bhawandla-narahari
Nisha Jaiswal: This amazing illustrator
generously shared her story. “I believe art-
ists are born and art is innate, and it is due
to the good karmas of my past life that the
Almighty has graced me with His eternal
inspiration. In my village as a small girl I
would see some Marwari girls decorate their
hands with henna in a beautiful manner.
“One day I did the same kind of art work on
my own palm, emulating them. Everyone ap-
preciated my work and made me realize that
I could do much better than those girls. That
was the moment I realized that I should be
painting intricate figures on canvas. That is
p h a l g i r o ta
how my journey began in the world of art, at
the age of sixteen.
“In the past three decades I have created
around 20 paintings. All of them are at dis-
play here. For my livelihood I depend on my
job as a university professor. I have never
compromised quality for the sake of quantity,
and perhaps that is why I am not a profes-
sional painter. I have always had a passion for
precision and perfection in my work.
“Through my paintings I offer myself to the
Almighty. For me working on them is like a
tranquilizer. Working on making the Dei-
ties is a means to connect with God. Deities
are my favorite subject, and through them
I express my dauntless faith in God. While
I do my art work, I feel like a yogi, and af-
ter completion I feel like bowing before the
pa l a k m a l i k
painting as if the Deity were actually there. I
think Deities will never be out of date. Peo-
ple are always interested in them. Moreover,
the scope in working on Deities is endless.
j u ly / au g us t / s e p t e m b e r , 2 0 1 6 h i n d u i s m t o day 29
 It may take me more than a hundred births
to paint 330 million Hindu Deities!” Visit:
nishaminiatures.com

Vivek Kumavat: This 38-year-old is in

love with Siva and with zebu bulls. “For the
past twelve years I have been painting bulls
and have done a lot of research on this sub-
ject, creating a style of my own. All these
paintings that you see are of Nandi bulls.
Nandi plays a big role in the epic and in the
context of Lord Siva. We all know that Nandi
is the vehicle of Siva. In Hindu mythology
the bull is considered to be a very powerful
animal.
“In the background I have used different
faces and figures of Siva; Sanskrit verses can
also be seen. Inside the figures of the Nan-
dis I have portrayed many of our Gods and
Goddesses and even the characters that were
p h a l g i r o ta

seen around them. Most of my sketches are

related to the Siva family.
“My bulls are stout and strong-bodied, but
you will see their faces are gentle, peace-
ful and even blissful. They are always in a
good mood. None of my bulls is in any way
aggressive or violent. They are at peace with
themselves.
“Once, after drawing a Nandi, I suddenly
had a vision of a golden bull coming out of
my painting. There are times when I see

pa l i k m a l i k
the bulls making gestures by moving their
necks and trying to communicate with me.
My wife and I are both very spiritual, and
sometimes both of us feel that the bulls are
communicating something to us through
the movement of their necks and eyes.” Visit: Naresh Kumar: “Our company, Matu My father took it forward, and now I am try- some of our projects in six to seven months.
artzolo.com/users/vivek-kumavat Ram Arts Centres, is one of India’s old- ing to take it even further. The well-known We have imported a lot of machinery from
est and most reputed firms specializing in industrialist family of Birlas once asked my abroad to enable us to finish our projects ex-
p h a l g i r o ta

Umakant Tawde: Umakant, 35, is both
artist and photographer. “This series of my
paintings is based on Buddhist monks. I
have focused on the Buddhist monasteries
at Dharamshala and nearby McLeod Ganj.
There the lamas are called Baudha bhikshus
(beggars). Every year I go to these places
and cover their puja, path and other activi-
ties. My photographs become the basis of
my paintings. With the help of computers I
try to give them a digital effect also. So my
paintings have a digital touch. Finally the
paintings are made with the help of oil and
acrylic.” Visit: umakanttawde.blogspot.com
Virtuosos and visions: (clockwise from
top left) Umakant Tawde, surrounded
by his monks, is interviewed by Rajiv
Malik; gallery of Harish Kumar; a
playful Siva shows another side of
pa l a k m a l i k
sculptures and towering statues. We have
designed and developed a large number of
iconic sculptures of Hindu Deities. These are
prominently located not only in India but
all over the world. One project now nearing
completion is to be India’s largest Lord Siva
statue, fully 351 feet tall.
“To give a sense of the size, His feet are
around 90 feet in measure. We are making
it with concrete, then covering it with metal;
it will be bronze in appearance. This is being
created in Rajasthan and will be located in
Nathdwara town. Elevators inside the body
will take visitors to Lord Siva’s shoulder level,
from where they can see not only the entire
town but Lord Siva’s face as well. We are try-
ing to use glass work in a way that one can
have full darshan of Lord Siva.
“You may have seen our first mega project, a
65-foot-tall Siva statue on national highway
eight, Mahipalpur, at the entrance to Delhi
from Haryana. We have also built a huge
father to make a 20-foot statue. My father peditiously. We also make small sculptures,
daringly offered to create 40- and 80-foot and at this exhibition I am introducing our
statues as well. As a result, the family award- work to a wider audience, including the art
ed us the prestigious Siva Murti project on galleries.
the national highway. Since then there has “In 2007 my father advised me to under-
been no looking back. take the recitation of Sundar Kand for 21 days,
“I initially wanted to become a doctor, but saying things will be better for us. That’s
when I could not clear the entrance exams, I the fifth chapter of the Ramayana, which
decided to join my father’s team. Partly due speaks of the adventures of Lord Hanuman.
to hereditary influence and also due to hard I decided that if it is such a good thing to do,
work, today we have achieved a lot of success. why just do it for twenty-one days? Why not
We have made 127 super structures all over every day for the rest of my life? I have been
the world. Eleven are outside India. doing this daily from that moment.
“Each of these statues costs around sixty “My father taught me that when we are do-
to seventy lakh Indian rupees ($90,000 to ing this kind of spiritual work, we have to be
$105,000). We also have to consider treat- strictly pious. Therefore, I keep myself away
ment of the surface, as the whole weight from all kind of bad habits and addictions.
will have to be born by that surface. Mostly I think it is because of these samskaras and
it is the temples, institutions and trusts who the moral values my father taught us that
commission these statues. We have never we have been able to achieve new heights in
faced a dearth of business, because my father, our business. You can’t separate spiritual and
Matu Ram Verma, has a name in the field of secular life.” Visit: templesmac.com

the mostly contemporary exhibition; Siva statue in Mauritius and two Hanuman construction of towering structures. Organizers have planned the next India
Nisha Jaiswal points to her amazingly statues, one in Durban and one in Toronto. “It used to take us around two years to cre- Art Festival for October 6-9, 2016, at the Ne-
detailed black and white illustration “Three generations of my family have been ate the super structures, but with the help of hru Center in Mumbai. For full information
of Durga as Mahishasura Mardini doing this work, all begun by my grandfather. advanced technology we can now complete visit: indiaartfestival.com ∏π

30 h i n d u i s m t o day j u ly / au g us t / s e p t e m b e r , 2 0 1 6 j u ly / au g us t / s e p t e m b e r , 2 0 1 6 h i n d u i s m t o day 31
 ( l e f t ) pata n ja l i g r o u p ( i ns e t ) d e v r a j a g a r wa l
d a i lya m i n. c o m
TRADITIONAL SCIENCE us$670 million and increasing. The company those medicines for the treatment of specific An herbal empire: (left) The Patanjali
proudly uses its profits for social service diseases, including multiple sclerosis, osteo- Food and Herbal Park occupies 150

The Innovative, World-Class

projects, which boosts its swadeshi appeal
even more, especially coupled with Ramdev’s
long-standing anticorruption campaign.
Traditional Goods, Modern Methods
porosis, infertility, hepatitis A, B and C, dia-
betes, mental disorder and cancer. The site
follows Amazon’s pattern of swift delivery to
the customer’s home.
Driving the company’s current growth is its
acres south of central Haridwar; (inset)
the modest sign by the entry gate lists
divisions of food processing; (above)
Acharya Balkrishna and Baba Ramdev
address a press conference at the launch of

Patanjali Food & Herbal Park The Herbal Park focuses on juices, herbal
products and personal goods such as tooth-
paste. Medicines are produced at other lo-
move into the “fast-moving consumer goods”
(FMCG) market. These are products sold
through an extensive distribution network
Patanjali Atta (wheat) Noodles in Delhi

cations, and various food products, such as in high volume at a relatively low profit mar- out India, according to a recent report in The
Baba Ramdev and Acharya Balkrishna repackage ancient ayurveda with high- biscuits, are outsourced. The sheer range and
scale of Patanjali aryuvedic, herbal and food
gin. In general these are items consumers
use daily, such as food, toiletries, drinks and
New York Times. Hundreds of them can be
purchased in North America at Amazon.com.
tech processing and marketing savvy to snatch $1 billion of market share products is amazing. On their website, www. common medicines. The website offers over An instructive comparison in Haridwar it-
patanjaliayurved.net, I counted 147 individu- 200 FMCG products—which are also avail- self is with the Gurukul Kangri Pharmacy, a
al medicines for sale and 69 formulations of able at 20,000 franchised outlets through- company associated with the Gurukul Kan-
While researching our story about Haridwar ayurvedic doctor Acharya Balkrishna, both Moreover, they have an appealing gri Vishwavidyalaya university, where Ram-
for Hinduism Today’s Apr/May/Jun, 2016, of Haridwar, has rattled more than just one swadeshi aura about them. Swadeshi, liter- dev himself studied as a young sannyasi. This
issue, our correspondent Rajiv Malik and of India’s biggest corporations. ally, “of one’s own country,” was conceived pharmacy, once famous, fell on hard times
photographer Devraj Agarwal also toured This spring, we visited Ramdev’s Patanjali in the 1850s to counter the influx of British due to management issues. On a recent visit
the state-of-the-art Patanjali Food and Yogapeeth, Ayurvedic college and research goods that was decimating India’s local in- we found its production methods a century
Herbal Park 20 miles south of Har Ki Pauri hospital in an industrial area of Haridwar dustries. The “made in India” strategy later out of date and unable to compete with Pa-
Ghat. This is their report. near the Ganga river. And we explored, via became a mainstay of Gandhi’s fight for in- tanjali’s clean, high-speed production lines.
electric card, the nearby 150-acre Patanjali dependence. By focusing on aryuvedic prod- “High tech” only begins to describe the
By Rajiv Malik, Delhi Food and Herbal Park (www.pfhppl.com). ucts and traditional Indian foodstuffs, Patan- Tetra Pak packaging machines at the Patan-
ove over, colgate palmolive, an My family have been using Patanjali jali has tapped into the swadeshi ideal, while jali Food and Herbal Park. The scene could

M upstart Indian company’s tooth- products for years, so I was fascinated to see
paste brand is gaining national where and how many of them are produced.
market share at the expense of Yes, we use the tangy toothpaste that is im-
your 110-year-old, us$ 16 billion multi- pacting Colgate’s bottom line, along with
national corporation. Domestic brokerage spices, murraba fruit preserves, papad wafers,
utilizing the most advanced production ma-
chines available worldwide.
Baba Ramdev and his long-time friend
and colleague Acharya Balkrishna have made
good use of the sadhu’s popularity across
be a backdrop in a futuristic science fiction
movie, with its network of stainless steel

Everything you might need: (left to

pata n ja l i g r o u p

houses estimate Colgate’s overall earnings rice, wheat flour, candies, chawanprash tonic, India, developed through his televised yoga right, top to bottom) adult toothpaste,
could drop 10 percent from the competi- health drinks, fruit juices, biscuits, other programs. The brand was automatically kids’ toothpaste, body lotion, coconut oil,
tion of Patanjali Ayurved on just this one foodstuffs, medicines and personal-care trusted. Guided by some skilled managers, aloe vera gel, medicated shampoo, rose
product. The company, founded in 1997 by items such as shampoos, soaps, etc. We have manufacturing and marketing have grown water, foot cream, body lotion, medicated
sadhu and yoga teacher Baba Ramdev and found all to be of high quality. rapidly. As of March, 2016, annual sales were face cream, almond oil and eye drops

32 h i n d u i s m t o day j u ly / au g us t / s e p t e m b e r , 2 0 1 6 j u ly / au g us t / s e p t e m b e r , 2 0 1 6 h i n d u i s m t o day 33

a l l p h o t o s : d e v r a j a g a r wa l
34 h i n d u i s m t o day
Inside the factory: (left top) A huge
shipment of aloe vera awaits processing;
(left bottom) tens of thousands of sacks of
ingredients are stacked high in a 100,000
square-foot warehouse; (right top) the
ultramodern Tetra Pak pasteurization
and bottling line; (right center) workers
man a bottling line for chawanprash;
(right bottom) the in-house testing lab
pipes, computerized processing units and
filling lines, all supervised by a skeleton
staff in a virtually sterile environment. Some
processes are decidedly low-tech, engaging
dozens of workers, such as peeling the skin
off the tons of aloe vera that had been de-
livered shortly before our arrival. And while
fast-moving machines pack toothpaste into
tubes, humans must inspect the tubes, pack
them into boxes and manage the huge flow
of product on the main floors.
K.K. Mishra, head of the park’s public rela-
tions, told us this is one of the largest multi-
product herbal facilities in the world. “To
give you an idea,” he explained, “25 truck-
loads of amla fruit are delivered to us daily.
From these we can produce 6,000 liters of
amla juice an hour with very little waste. The
Tetra Pak machines can produce up to 27,000
juice packs, 200ml to one liter, per hour.” He
told us 10,000 people work at the park, most
on a permanent basis. A 100,000-square-
foot warehouse stores 500 high-quality
herbal ingredients procured from all over
the world, and each finished product is fully
tested in a central lab.
Talented engineers designed this state-of-
the-art facility to operate with admirable
efficiency, thus keeping prices affordable to
the ordinary Indian household. Everywhere
we saw attention to cleanliness, quality of in-
gredients and packaging. It is a testament to
the dedication and managerial skill of Baba
Ramdev and Acharya Balkrishna that they
could create an industrial project of this size
and scale in less than one decade.
Social Emphasis
We met with Baba Ramdev’s personal as-
sistant, Siddhartha Bhargava. He told us the
food park is more a social project, than a
commercial venture. He argued that prod-
ucts offered by multinational companies
are out of sync with the Indian lifestyle. It
has been Ramdev’s goal to develop products
with an Indian soul, and to end the country’s
dependency on multinationals. Bhargava ex-
plained that the need of the hour is to offer
food, herbal and cosmetic products based
on ancient ayurvedic traditions and science.
The company, he said, takes no subsidy from
the government and is competing well in the
open market, since there is great demand for
its products.
j u ly / au g us t / s e p t e m b e r , 2 0 1 6
Another Patanjali business basic, K.K.
Mishra added, is that farmers be paid a fair
price as a means to alleviate rural poverty.
Acharya Balkrishna is the managing direc-
tor of Patanjali Ayurved, Ltd. During our brief
interview with him he shared this message,
“The propagation of ayurvedic products is a
role God has given us to perform and which
we are doing with passion and commitment.
The ayurvedic products given to us by our
ancient seers have immense power to cure
diseases. We have forgotten this, but now are
getting back to it.” The problem with health
care today, he explained, is that people wait
to get sick, then have to take medicine to be
cured. The Indian ideal is to save ourselves
from disease in the first place by living a life
based on ayurveda and yoga. We must learn
to find moments of peace in the midst of to-
day’s hectic life, so full of stress and strife.
Balkrishna admitted, “There are vested
interests in not letting ayurveda become
popular again in India. The medicines are
very reasonably priced, so diseases can be
fought with a few dollars worth of ayurvedic
products, rather than the thousands of dol-
lars which would be spent on hospitals. The
benefits of ayurveda and yoga are explained
in my book, A Practical Approach to the Sci-
ence of Ayurveda. We are also working on a
World Herbal Encyclopedia.”
“We are happy that God is using us as his
tool to perform all this,” Balkrishna conclud-
ed. “With the blessings of the Almighty and
the hard work of Pujya Swami Ramdev Ji, we
have been able to do things not only in India
but at the international level, too. I feel this is
just the beginning, and we will be able to do
a lot more in times to come.” ∏π
j u ly / au g us t / s e p t e m b e r , 2 0 1 6 h i n d u i s m t o day 35
EDUCATIONAL INSIGHT
A Fifteenth Century Poet-Saint’s
The Mystic Wisdom on Life, Death, Guru & God
Mind and By Lakshmi Chandrass hekar Subramanian C
A TIO

EDU

N
AL
Music of “Drop falling in the ocean: evveryone knows.

S
I N
S T
I G H
Ocean absorbed in the drop p: a rare one knows.”
Kabir, Sakhi 69, Bijak (Hess)

F
or over five hundred years, Kabir’s poetry has been remembered,
recited and sung throughout North India and today in various
parts of the world due to the Indian diaspora. Sant Kabir (ca. 1398-
1448 or 1518) is one of the most renowned poets of the Indian ver-
nacular languages. Also known as Kabir Das, “servant of the Great (God),”
he belonged to the weaver (julaha) class in Varanasi, the ancient city in
the present-day Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Kabir’s works are known
for their nirgun bhakti, personal devotion to the formless, impersonal Di-
vine. Recurring themes in his poems include a focus on the name of God,
critiques of religious customs, the transience of life, and the spiritual need
for a true teacher, or guru. His approach defied convention and questioned
orthodoxies, not unlike other luminaries in South India, including Viras-
haiva poet-saint Basavanna, and contemporaries in the North, like Guru
Nanak and Mirabai. Categorized historically, Kabir’s works can be placed
outside of the Hindu/Muslim binary, and later influenced the nascent Sikh
community. Today various Hindu, Sikh and Sufi communities claim Kabir;
and his dohas (couplets) are taught in secular education systems in India
and Indian international schools abroad. Kabir’s wisdom is widely invoked
through bhajans (devotional song) performed in classical, contemporary
and film music scenes. His works are studied in academic circles and even
referenced by political groups. The social contexts in which Kabir’s poems
were composed and received are relevant, as they were a part of the oral
tradition, generally sung or heard rather than silently read. Especially in
the case of the Guru Granth Sahib, Kabir’s poems were collected to be
sung and are organized in ragas. Kabir composed in a mixed Hindi dia-
lect, often termed karî bolî hindî. The language, content and poetic style
contextualize the poet in a larger devotional tradition; his poems fit into
the historical backdrop of the bhakti movements that arose in multiple
regions and languages throughout India. During this period of several cen-
turies (ca. 500-1700 ce), there was a fervent attempt to make religion ac-
Bet ee
Betw e n worlds: Ar Arttiist
st S. R
Raajjaam’
am
m’’s 19
196868 cessible to common people regardless of language, gender or social status,
depi
de piccttiio
on of
of Kab bir
ir at his
his lo
hi loom
oom
om wea eavi
ving
vi
ing
ng clo lothh. To o with special emphasis on devotionalism expressed in India's many local
the ri
th righ
ght
ghht ar
arree th
th
hre
reee ggrrou
ree upss of de
devo
devo votees
teess (top
te top to
to to
bott
bo ttom
ttom
om) Mu Musllim ims, s, Hin indu us an
nd br braah
hmmiin p prrie
i sttss,,
languages. To underscore this, A. K. Ramanujan quotes Kabir: “Sanskrit

s. rajam
rreepr
pres
ressenenti
ting
ng thehe releliiggio
ious
ous
us commu
ommmu muniniti
tieess tha
hat is as the water of a well, but the vernacular (bhashya) [is] like a running
the p
th pooet chihid deed aannd caajole
jole
jo led
ed in
n hiiss wororksks. In n the
he brook” (Ramanujan, 1999: p. 330). The Kabir poems we encounter in this
back
back
ba ckgr
ground
ou
ounndd Lorrd Ra Raamamaa sho
m hoo
hoot
otts in
into
o thheeir
eiirr midst
idst
id st
aan n unnsseeen arro
arrrow
row of
ro of wiissdom
dom aan
do nd haharm mony.
ony.
on y. educational feature are waters from this brook.
j u ly / au g us t / s e p t e m b e r , 2 0 1 6 h i n d u i s m t o day 37
Nirgun Poems: Devotion to the Formless Divine
abir's poems invite us to rethink our body-mind argument raised by the issue of jati
ideas of devotion and of God. While in the first half of the epigram, in which Kabir
affirming some traditional aspects of advocates mind over matter, although in this
worship, he decimates others. This instance, imagery concerning the body is used
epigram draws out two basic aspects of Kabir’s in a positive context.
bhakti: all-inclusivity, and God as protector.
So I’m born a weaver, so what? Nirgun God

all photos: arun kumar mishra—dinodia

I’ve got the Lord in my heart.
Kabir: secure in the arms of Ram,
free from every snare.
Adi Granth, sakhi 82; Hawley and
Juergensmeyer 2004: p. 58
The first line suggests the non-importance
of jati in the world of devotion, and the follow-
ing two lines underscore the principle. Kabir
makes a brazen statement about his profession
that denotes jati. His mention of being born a
weaver problematizes the idea that one’s birth
determines one’s religious status. The indica-
tion here is that bhakti is an active choice rather
than a matter of birth or legacy; it is something
that one has to cultivate. His nonchalant tone conveys a bold stance:
bhakti should be accessible to all. But there is a prerequisite, which is
to have the lord in one’s heart. Kabir states that as long as one is truly
devoted to Ram, he or she is a devotee. The fact that Kabir lived and
spoke out against orthodoxy in 15th century Varanasi, where Brah-
min priests played a crucial role in society, makes the poet-saint’s
provocation all the more powerful.
The second half of the poem demonstrates the fruits of devotion
in the form of divine protection. Having God as protector or guard-
ian is a common theme in bhakti literature, and it is this sentiment
that is reflected in Kabir’s epigram. Hindu Deities such as Shiva,
Vishnu, Durga and Hanuman are known for their protecting dispo-
sition, and the list includes Lord Rama. The image in Kabir’s poem
of being “secure in the arms of Ram” conveys the notion that once
devoted to God, the devotee will be taken care of, “free from every
snare.” Kabir’s use of corporeal imagery is intriguing as the “heart”
and “arms” indicate the physicality associated with bhakti, as well
as the sagun (“with qualities”) nature of God. This reminds us of the
Kabir uses his words to intimate the formless
divine that lies beyond words. Nirgun (literally,
“without attributes”) names the view that God
cannot be positively conceived and should not
be worshiped through images or other visual
forms (Hawley and Juergensmeyer 2004: p.
230). In this way, God can be interpreted as “the
One,” “the All,” and “knowledge without dual-
ity,” which is the facet of the Divine that Kabir
refers to in the following couplet:
The One is one with the All,
the All is one with the One.
Kabir is one
with the knowledge without duality.
sakhi 272 / Dharwadker 2003: p. 184
Here Kabir states that the One, referring to nirgun God, is the
essence that permeates the All in the world of externalities. In his
cryptic and laconic style, he emphasizes that it is human beings who
have to realize this oneness just like Kabir did. The idea of “knowl-
edge without duality” is indicative of 8th Adi Shankara’s advaita
(nondualist) philosophy, in which Brahman (cosmic being) and
atman (individual soul) are viewed as one. This is a case where simi-
lar ideas that were earlier limited to Sanskrit philosophy are being
opened up to people at large through easily accessible languages.
This is a key trait of the bhajans of India’s vernacular poet-saints. In
other poems Kabir is more direct in his language and style. In a poem
An earnest quest: (clockwise from above) Kabir in bronze, one
of numerous sculptures adorning the grounds of Kabir Chaura
Math depicting Kabir’s story and the history of the math; Vivek Das
(center), head of the math, singing bhajans with devotees; Kabir’s
samadhi shrine at the math, inside a small temple established in
1521 at the place where the mystic used to meditate and worship

guru’s grace that God can be reached. Sometimes God is the perfect Kabir, a seeker, climbed to nirvana, O sadhu.
Praise to the Guru guru. He also elevates the status of the guru in poem Aivi aivi sen.
Such signs my true teacher showed me—
(Hess 2015: p.283-4)

he necessity to seek guidance from a guru or “true
teacher” is underscored in the poetry of Kabir, an ideology par-
allel to traditional Hindu thought. Kabir’s stance on the role
of the teacher is clear in this popular couplet that begins with
guru gobind dou khade / kake lagoon pay? His answer is definitive:
Guru and God are before me. Whose feet should I touch?
I offer myself to the guru who showed me God.
(Hess 2015: p.288)
It is significant that guru is the first word in this couplet, and
appears even before God, since according to Kabir it is with the
it can’t be spoken with the mouth, O sadhu
in my country there’s no ground, no sky
no wind, no water, O sadhu
in my country there’s no moon, no sun
no million stars, O sadhu
in my country there’s no Brahma or Vishnu
no Lord Shiva, O sadhu
in my country there’s no Veda, no Gita
no song, no couplet, O sadhu
in my country there’s no rising or setting,
no birth, no death, O sadhu
Step by step a truth-seeker arrives.
Kabir speaks of the greatness of the “true teacher” by stating that
what the guru gives, or shows in this case, “can’t be spoken with
the mouth.” It is beyond words and necessarily needs introspection.
Kabir scholar Linda Hess explains that the concept of guru is both
inner and outer. “The reference may be to a human being who gives
priceless guidance or to an innate source of knowledge that is always
with us” (Hess 2015: p. 288). This is a key facet of nirgun poetry
which this poem serves to demonstrate. Kabir refers to key Hindu
Deities and texts (Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, Veda and Gita), and states
that the Truth he speaks of is beyond all of them. He dedicates this
knowledge to the “true teacher,” thereby eliminating the seeker’s ego.
In this case, the seeker is Kabir himself.

j u ly / au g us t / s e p t e m b e r , 2 0 1 6 h i n d u i s m t o day 39
from the Kabir Granthavali, he says, “He’s religious practices. This could be why
Brahman: unmanifest, unlimited. He per- Kabir is often categorized as a mystic
meates everything as absolute knowledge” rather than a saint, with the attending
(Dharwadker 2003: p. 148). religious associations.
Although we have encountered two In the following poem from the Adi
poems that conceptualize the Divine in Granth, Kabir not only questions the
abstract terms, there are other ways that significance of religious structures, both
Kabir played with the concept of nirgun. ideological and physical, but also the role
For example, there are two poems in the and authority of leaders such as priests
Adi Granth in which God is personified (mullah in Persian/Urdu).
as the bridegroom who has come to take Broadcast, O mullah, your merciful call
away his bride, the spiritual seeker, in to prayer—
marriage. Kabir says, “I will walk around you yourself are a mosque with ten doors.
the fire with Ram Rai, my soul suffused
with His color” and “Ram, my husband, has come to my house,” Make your mind your Mecca, your body the Ka’aba—
(Dass 1991: p. 8-9). The poet has used the motif of unity in marriage your Self itself is the Supreme Master.
as an analogy for spiritual unity, an idea that Guru Nanak also adopts In the name of Allah, sacrifice your anger, error, impurity—
in some of his poetry. Although the portrayal of the Divine appears chew up your senses, become a patient man.
to be sagun (with qualities) in this context, the poetry does not
describe specific personality traits or physical form and hence can The lord of the Hindus and Turks is one and the same—
still be characterized as nirgun in spirit. In addition to demonstrat- why become a mullah, why become a sheikh?
ing a novel way in which the nirgun God can be represented, these Kabir says, brother, I’ve gone crazy—
poems create room for speculation about the intertextuality between quietly, quietly, like a thief, my mind has
the works of Kabir and other poet-saints such as Nanak, wherein slipped into the simple state.

all photos: arun kumar mishra—dinodia

Kabir’s poems may have directly influenced Nanak’s works. (Adi Granth, Raga Bhairava, shabad 4)

Challenging Orthodoxies
Kabir often stressed the shortcomings of established Indian religi-
osity, usually that of popular Hinduism and Islam. For instance, he
mockingly called out to siddhas (Hindu adepts) and pirs (Sufi mas-
ters) to expose their hypocrisies. However, one should be wary of
interpreting his words as encouraging religious unity between the
two faiths, as this was hardly his agenda. Rather than building a
bridge between the two, he condemned the follies, rituals and ortho-
doxies of both—following a facet of nirgun theology that questions all
worship of form. Instead of solely criticizing organized traditions, his
poetry reflects his personal idea of transcendence of all conventional
The vivid Islamic imagery in this poem—mullah, call to prayer,
mosque, Mecca, Ka’aba, Allah, sheikh—serves as the backdrop for
A lasting legacy: (clockwise from above) One of several artifacts
from Kabir’s life, a 500-year-old wooden weaving device called
charkha; centered around an ancient well, an array of eight bronzes
depicting scenes from history, including Kabir fetching water, ladies
at the well, and Pandit Sarvanand (right) arriving to debate with the
poet, his bull loaded with dozens of books; Kabir’s wooden footwear,
on display at the Math, 22.5cm (8.85”) in length

Life & Legends
here are two kabirs that we are simultaneously negoti-
ating within our understanding: the Kabir of legend, and the
actual man who belonged to early modern times. The latter
Kabir, the historical poet-saint, lived in North India at a time
when there was political unrest, with the Persian invaders’ rule in
decline. Kabir, and Guru Nanak in the following century, were placed
well between the Hindu and Muslim communities. Kabir’s home
city, Varanasi, was diverse, with people from different jatis, social
backgrounds and religious traditions. Based on his poetry and popu-
lar tales, we can assume that his words were controversial both for
Hindus and Muslims. Kabir was a social critic who spoke against
inequality and abuse of power, so we infer that these facets of life
were a part of the social climate in his world. But the special interest
in Kabir’s socio-political persona has been most evident in the late
twentieth century onwards, which serves as a commentary for the
pressing issues of that time in history.
As Hess explains in The Bijak of Kabir, having converted to Islam
in 15th century North India often meant being half Hindu. “For sev-
eral centuries the Muslim invaders had been waging warfare up and
down the subcontinent, taking over kingdoms and propagating their
faith through the points of the sword,” (Hess 1983: p. 5). Thus, people
often converted to the rulers’ religion without completely forsaking
the beliefs and practices of their former faith. Legend has it that Kabir
was no stranger to that oppression, as Sikandar Lodi, ruler of the
Delhi Sultanate, made multiple attempts to kill the outspoken poet.
It is safe to say that there was political unrest during Kabir’s time,
leading up to the downfall of the Delhi Sultanate and rising of the
Mughal empire in 1526. “He was alive at a time when the divisions
between Hindu and Muslim were feverish: recent demolitions of
sacred sites, and frequent confrontations between Muslim rulers
and the Hindu kshatriya communities,” says Brahmachari Vrajvi-
hari Sharan, priest of England’s Edinburgh Hindu Mandir. How-
ever, there was also the flourishing of devotional poetry in various
regions—Namdev in Maharashtra (14th century), Narasinha Mehta
in Gujarat (15th century), Mirabai in Rajasthan (16th century) and
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in Bengal (16th century), to name a few of
the renowned Hindu poet-saints. Sufi poetry, then in its ascendency,
illumined this era as well. Hess concludes that Kabir’s poetry reflects
the rich interplay of religious traditions of that period in history,
including but not limited to Hinduism, Buddhist tantrism and the
tradition of the Nath yogis.
Manuscripts exist for some of Kabir’s poems, but certainly not
all; most poems were transmitted through oral tradition, and later
in musical and written form. We are unable to find many reliable
or dated early written sources, and this is where the Kabir of leg-
end gains prominence—the memory that was created, accessed and
expanded by musicians, traders, travelers and devotees down the
centuries in North India. What we have available today was recorded
a century after Kabir is believed to have died. These include well-
documented manuscripts of the Sikh scriptures Adi Granth and
Goindval Pothis, the Kabir Granthavali of the Dadu Panth, and the
Bijak of the Kabir Panthis. Written biographical narratives about
Kabir’s life include Anantadas’s Kabir Parchai, composed around
1625, and Bhaktirasabodhini by Priyadas, composed around 1712.
Both biographers placed Kabir into a rigidly sectarian model of
Sagun Vaishnavism (Dharwadker 2003: p. 20). Subsequently, a dif-
ferent set of birth stories originated from the Kabir Panth (organized
community of Kabir followers), which even today portrays Kabir as a
divine child born under miraculous circumstances.
It is impossible that Kabir composed every poem attributed to
him. We thus come to terms with the realities of collective author-
ship: Kabir as the idealized songster whose body of poetry has been
amplified by those who have heard, received, performed and added
their own works—something John Stratton Hawley outlines in his
book A Storm of Songs (2015).
Another point to note is the difference between authorship and
authority. In Three Bhakti Voices (Mirabai, Surdas and Kabir in
Their Times and Ours), Hawley asserts that authorship is second-
arily relevant, since the manuscript sources we have today are scarce.
Instead, it is the poet’s authority—whether it is Kabir’s characteristic
signature, “kahat kabir suno bhai sadho,” or stylistic particularities—
that counts most in the scholarly engagement with his poetry.

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Kabir’s rejection of orthodox prac- In the bhakti tradition: (clockwise
tices. In my reading, the crux of the from left) A bronze of Mirabai at
poem is in the second stanza, where the Kabir Chaura Math, the 16th
Kabir says, “Make your mind your century singer/poetess and devotee
Mecca,” an indication to seek spiri- of Krishna; an artist’s depiction of
tuality within rather than in external Kabir, the weaver, seated on a veranda
structures. It suggests that a person’s contemplating the universe while
mind should be pure and serve as the selling his freshly made linens
holy place of worship, not to mention
that the relevant journey is considered
to be more mental than physical. The structures. This is a marker of nirgun
corporeal imagery carries over to the poetry, in addition to the focus on
second line of the stanza and beyond, interiorization (seeking God inward)
where the human body is compared to rather than grosser externalities. The
the sacred Ka’aba. This is an extension phrase “I’ve gone crazy” in the last
of “you yourself are a mosque with ten stanza is reminiscent of the Sufi con-
doors.” This can be interpreted as a cept of wajd (spiritual ecstasy), and it
arun kumar mishra—dinodia

reference to Hindu theology in which is not surprising that today Sufi qaw-
the human body is believed to possess wali singers almost always include
ten faculties (indriyas) at its gross level, Kabir poetry in their repertoire. The
consisting of five faculties for action key word in the final line of the poem,
(karma indriyas): grasping, moving, “my mind has slipped into the simple
speaking, eliminating and procreat- state,” is simple. We can interpret
ing; and five for perception (jnana Kabir’s words to mean that everything
indriyas): seeing, hearing, smelling, that he has mentioned in the poem
tasting and feeling. These could be the is simple, and the practice of religion
ten doors Kabir is referring to, as the can be simple as well. The overarch-
human being is thought of as a building with ten doors in traditional ing question is: are man-made religious orthodoxies simple? On the
yoga philosophy. Moreover, “your Self itself is the Supreme Master” other hand, Kabir’s emphasis on craziness could suggest the opposite
is likely an indication to the concept of Brahman, and hence Vinay of simple. The last line could also be tongue in cheek, where Kabir is
Dharwadker has chosen to capitalize the word “Self” in the English referring to the naivety of a simplistic outlook.
translation. In this poem, Kabir uses the name Allah in suggesting In confronting the ideas of religious orthodoxy, Kabir draws from
reform. In other poems, he uses the name Ram to appeal to his fel- the vocabulary of both traditions to communicate his stance: God
low men to give up base emotions, such as anger, and adopt a more does not live in temples or mosques, but within one’s own body,
spiritual lifestyle. Given the largely Hindu socio-cultural context of mind and soul. But was Kabir a Ram bhakta, since he mentioned Ram
15th century Varanasi and the hub of Brahmanical orthodoxy that it in his poems? The poet uses “Ram” as a synonym for Truth or inner
was, it is evident why Ram was more experience, and as a goal that one
appealing than Allah, thus explaining “If all the land were turned to paper and all should meditate on and strive toward.
Kabir’s choice. The lines “The lord of seas turned to ink, and the forests into pens Despite not referring directly to the
the Hindus and Turks is one and the to write with, they would still not suffice to Deity Rama of Ayodhya, the word has
same” refer to God as Supreme Mas- strong Hindu connotations.
describe the greatness of the guru.” Kabir
ter, untainted by sectarian or religious

Legendary narratives are situated somewhere between history and
myth, and embody the characteristics of both (Lorenzen 2006: p.102).
This holds true for Kabir legends, which have been retold and rewrit-
ten numerous times over the centuries. Anantadas’s Kabir Parchai
contains the earliest hagiographical account of his life; Priyadas retold
some of those legends in his 1712 work. There are also many narra-
tives, not mentioned in the Kabir Parchai, that have emerged from the
Kabir Panth. Other sources for Kabir legends include the Bhaktavijay,
written in Marathi by Mahipati in 1762, narratives from the Dadu
Panth, and some Persian accounts. Today, David Lorenzen’s Kabir
Legends (1991) is the one of the most comprehensive compilations
of these narratives, and serves as a primary resource for this article.
Among the popular stories propagated by the Kabir Panth, the
poet’s birth narrative tells us how Neeru and Neema, who belonged
to a weaver community, found the infant Kabir at the Lahartara pond
and thereafter raised him as their own child.
Perhaps Kabir could be seen as his own poet-saint rather than
linked with any guru, but he is widely known to be a disciple of the
famous Saint Ramananda of Kashi, founder of the Ramanandi order.
unknown
Ostensibly, this is supported by his mention of Ramananda in the
Bijak, sabda 77 (thought to be the only reference to his guru in Kabir’s
poetry): “One builds great hopes of himself; but none has found the
secret of Hari. Where can the senses find rest? Where has he gone,
whom men call Rama ? Where are they gone that were wise? After
death they were absorbed in the song. Ramananda drank deep of the
juice of Rama. Says Kabir, I am weary with repeating this” (The Bijak
of Kabir, Translated Into English, Rev. Ahmad Shah, 1917). However,
today’s scholars tend to interpret the word Ramananda in this verse
as “the bliss of Rama.” For example: “Many hoped but no one found
Hari’s heart. Where do the senses rest? Where do the Ram-chanters
go? Where do the bright ones go? Corpses: all gone to the same place.
Drunk on the juice of Ram’s bliss, Kabir says, I’ve said and I’ve said.
I’m tired of saying” (Hess: 1983, p. 68).
As per legend, Kabir desired for Ramananda, an orthodox brahmin,
to be his teacher. However, Kabir feared that he wouldn’t be accepted
as he hailed from a humble community of Muslim weavers. Thus,
one day at predawn, when Ramananda was on his way to bathe in
the Ganges, Kabir lay stretched across the stairs blocking the guru’s
way. Ramananda tripped over Kabir in the dark and exclaimed his
mantra “Ram! Ram!” and Kabir took the encounter as his initiation.
Whether or not this story is historically accurate, Kabir’s poems are
full of the Ram mantra. Kabir also probably knew other nirgun poet-
saints, such as Raidas, who was also believed to be a disciple of Saint
Ramananda. By some accounts, Kabir had a wife and a son, though
many, including those of the Kabir Panth, maintain that he was never
married and lived a celibate. Kabir Panth sources also contain many
travel accounts of Kabir not found elsewhere, including a purported
meeting with Guru Nanak.
Saint Ramananda belonged to the Vaishnava tradition. In an article
to be published later this year, John Stratton Hawley asks—to quote
his title line—“Can There Be a Vaishnava Kabir?” He responds thus:
“Certainly the scribe of Fatehpur thought so. All except two of the
fourteen Kabir-signed poems in this earliest firmly dated manuscript
give God a Vaishnava name (especially Ram), and I’d argue that it
hovers over more.” He refers to the widespread use of the names
Ram and Hari in Rajasthani and Punjabi collections of Kabir’s poetry,
and expresses the view that while in North America it is the Kabir
of the Bijak who has triumphed, other early collections of Kabir’s
poetry bring out a different flavor. Hawley concludes, “All across the
various traditions of reception that give us the Kabir we ‘know’ today,
Kabir was in significant measure a Vaishnava—a Vaishnava of the
sort I have called ‘vulgate.’ This was the world he lived and breathed,
whether he was heard and collected by Kabirpanthis, Dadupanthis,
Sikhs or Vaishnavas of the Fatehpur sort.”
A famous encounter between Kabir and Sultan Sikandar Lodi, ruler
of the Delhi Sultanate, is an oft-quoted legend. Anantadas’s Parchai
describes how all the orthodox members of the community—includ-
ing mullahs, Brahmins and even Kabir’s own mother—complained to

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The Kabir Lineage & Institutions
he two kabir maths in varanasi, as dedicated to Kabir.
well as those in other cities in India, are There are various personal artifacts dis-
facilities through which the poet-saint’s played at the Kabir Chaura Math, which the
teachings are kept alive and current, Panth considers to have been Kabir’s own.
with dedicated spaces and committed monks One such item is Kabir’s khadau (sandals),
and leaders who spread Kabir’s messages to and others include the mala his guru, Swami

all photos: arun kumar mishra—dinodia

people today. These centers are run by Kabir Ramananda, is said to have given him, and his
Panthis, a religious sect of Kabir followers who weaving machine, all of which visitors can
attempt to live the social and religious ideol- see. There are also many spaces to visit within
ogy embodied in his teachings. They are strict the kabir maths. These include the Lahartara
vegetarians and refrain from alcohol, and often pond, Samadhi Mandir, Kabir hut, Neeru Teela
tobacco. The Kabir Panth traces its lineage (Neeru Hill) and the Sadguru Kabir Pustaka-
back to Kabir himself. According to Kabir Pan- laya (library), which holds selected manu-
thi lore, four of Kabir’s direct disciples founded scripts of the works on Kabir and other saints.
four distinct branches of the Panth, with Each of these places is associated with a
Shruti Gopal Saheb establishing the Kabir popular Kabir legend, may it be Kabir’s birth
Chaura Math (considered the mul gaddi, origi- narrative at the Lahartara pond or the story
nal seat) in Varanasi, with others in Madhya of Neeru and Neema (the Muslim weavers
Pradesh and Bihar. Today the Kabir Panth is who brought Kabir up) with the Neeru Teela,
a large fellowship, with various branches and where the adoptive parents’ remains are
sub-sects, which do not always see eye to eye, buried.
except when it comes to revering the Bijak, which they all regard Today, in addition to being a site frequented by tourists, pilgrims,
as their primary scripture. The Bijak, an anthology of Kabir’s verses and Kabir enthusiasts, the maths remain active as places of learn-
compiled in Eastern Uttar Pradesh and/or Bihar, is one of Kabir’s ing. The Kabir Chaura Math propagates Kabir’s philosophy via pub-
most influential works. lications by its in-house press Kabirvani Prakashan Kendra, as well
The largest Kabir math in Varanasi is built around Kabir’s legend- as through acharyas giving lectures and performing bhajans of the
ary place of origin, including the famous pond at Lahartara where the poet-saint. Visitors are encouraged to meditate, surround themselves
infant Kabir was found. The Kabir Math Lahartara houses the senior in nature, and reflect on Kabir’s verses at the maths.
monks and hosts grand events every year. The second Kabir math
is Kabir Chaura, regarded as the official headquarters of the Kabir Focused on God: (above) a portrait of Kabir inside the
Panthis. The current head of the Kabir Chaura Math is Acharya Samadhi Mandir sanctum at Kabir Chaura Math; evening
Vivek Das, the 24th teacher in the lineage (kabirchaura.com/index. satsang in the temple; the Bijak Mandir, built on the site
htm). This math houses the Bijak Mandir, a name apt for a temple where crowds would gather to hear the poet’s dissertations

Sikandar about Kabir’s provocative philosophy and activities. Upon

being summoned and questioned, Kabir announced his faith in Ram.
This so infuriated Sikandar that he ordered that Kabir be chained and A Beloved Rascal
thrown in the Ganges. But when the rebel was tossed into the water,
the chains broke away and he floated unharmed. In the next ordeal he poetry of kabir transcends the orthodoxies of the sound, also make him relevant in today’s trending “spiritual but not
they tied him to firewood and lit him up; but the flames burned as religious traditions that claim the mystic as their own today. religious” (SBNR) landscape.
cool as water. Then he was to be trampled to death by a wild ele- Practices that he challenged include undertaking pilgrimage, Popular media has greatly assisted in spreading Kabir’s messages
phant, but the pachyderm refused to attack him. Having witnessed visiting places of worship and engaging in ritualistic prayer. in this century. Numerous films and documentaries have been made
all this, Sikandar accepted Kabir’s innocence and rewarded him with Kabir’s focus instead is on popular, practical wisdom, infused with in the last decade; Shabnam Virmani’s four films as part of the Kabir
riches, which the saint refused, returning home. nirgun ideas of guru, God, life and death. He grabs his listeners’ Project are especially noteworthy (www.kabirproject.org). There are
In his final days, Kabir moved from Varanasi to Maghar, a Mus- attention through enigmatic questions and riddles. Perhaps this is annual Kabir festivals held in India and abroad. The Kabir Festival
lim weavers’ town near Gorakhpur district close to the Nepalese what makes his verses appeal to diverse groups of people—from reli- Mumbai (thekabirfest.com) is one of the most happening. It brings
border. When he died there, legend has it that his followers, Hindus gious leaders to academics, Indian classical musicians to folk singers, together singers, dancers, storytellers and filmmakers to share
and Muslims, argued over how to conduct the final rites; each group school children to rickshaw walas. Other religious figures, including Kabir’s works through the arts. The 15th century poet-saint even has
wanting to follow its own customs. They agreed that, regardless, the the Sikh Guru Nanak and poet-saint Ravidas (also known as Raidas), a Bollywood presence! In Dulhan Hum Le Jayenge (2000), Salman
body should be covered in flowers, which they did. Returning later, regarded themselves as belonging to the same family of bhakti poets, Khan and Karishma Kapoor quote Kabir dohas in their dialogue. In
the corpse had disappeared and only the flowers remained. The Hin- and we can see thematic parallels in their poetry. Highway (2014), A.R. Rahman’s song “Heera” is a collection of three
dus cremated one portion of the blossoms, and the Muslims bur- Kabir is often categorized as a “sant” (saint/seeker of Truth) rather dohas, all describing a worthy diamond. Other creative projects, such
ied another. Anantadas ends his retelling of this story with Kabir’s than a “bhakta” (devotee/lover of God), because he conceptualizes as Indian-American composer Aks’s Kahat Kabira (2014), have also
being invited into heaven by gods and sages. Today there is a samadhi Divinity without attributes or personality traits (Hawley and Juer- been inspired by Kabir. It is an album of nine songs that sets his
shrine at the Kabir Chaura in Varanasi and another at Maghar which gensmeyer 2004: p. 4-5). This differentiates Kabir and Ravidas from poetry to electronic dance music. In fact, the poet-saint now resides
thousands of followers visit every year to remember and honor the bhaktas like Surdas and Tulsidas, who sang about the qualities of in the palms of our hands in smartphones and other handheld
revered poet-saint. Krishna and Rama. Other facets of Kabir’s poetry, such as the rejec- devices; a quick search for “kabir” on YouTube fetches over 600,000
tion of organized religion and emphasis on yoga and primordial results with dohas, bhajans and documentaries.

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 The material structure of the Kabir The Kabir heritage: (clockwise
Chaura Math, with its many spaces includ- from left) Priest Shri Balu Bhai inside
ing kabir ka ghar (Kabir’s home), physicalizes the meditation room at the Kabir
the significance and remembrance of this Lahartara Temple, located near
poet-saint. Kabir Jayanti (birthday of Kabir) the site where the infant Kabir was
is celebrated every year as a central festival, discovered by Neeru and Neema, who
and attended by several followers of Kabir. raised him as their own; a modern

arun kumar mishra—dinodia

In addition to celebrating Kabir, his life reproduction of a vintage painting
and works, the Kabir Chaura Math also of Kabir sitting with Muslim visitors
glorifies those who followed his teach- who have brought offerings of
ings, respected him or otherwise showed pomegranates and bananas; artifacts
commitment to Kabir. For example, among from Kabir’s life: two trishulas, two fire
more than a dozen life-size bronzes, there pokers and a wooden water vessel; a
is a statue of Shruti Gopal Saheb, formerly painting of the poet wearing a turban
known as Sarvanand, a Brahmin pandit adorned with a peacock feather
from South India. Despite visiting Kabir
to prove his intelligence, he eventually
became Kabir’s disciple and is believed to have been appointed by in 1934. These statues of devotees and followers are displayed along-
Kabir to lead the Kabir Panth in Varanasi. There is also a bronze of side kiosk signs sharing the history and stories with visitors. One
Gandhi at Kabir Chaura, which commemorates his visit to the Math source claims there are nine million adherents to the Kabir Panth.

Champion of the Downtrodden

By Dr. Rajani Kant, Director/General Secretary to so-called religious people who have created the
Human Welfare Association, Varanasi myth that only they can afford God’s blessings
he words of kabir relate most directly to through their resources. His dedication to uplift-
the common man, the disadvantaged section of ing the poor and the humble relates directly to the
society, the marginalized communities that face social service work to which my life is devoted. His
struggles and discrimination based on financial attitudes in this regard stem from his own early
status, jati, creed and gender. He demonstrates in his life, growing up in a community of poor hand-
poetry a revolutionary attitude toward the rulers of his loom weavers. He spoke boldly against the religious

artnindia.com
society in favor of the common community. orthodoxy of his day, preaching respect for every-
Sant Kabir has several times said that God is much one, without discrimination, and arguing that all
closer to the poorest of the poor, who are open- places are equally holy if your heart is transparent,
sharan

hearted, honest and dedicated towards their life, than open, sensitive and service oriented.

powerful words to communicate the sub- Kabir’s language was at times so biting that
Kabir’s Way with Words tlest of ideas in the most blatant way. He
was a fierce social critic and iconoclast who
the Sikhs did not include those portions in their
texts. At an earlier stage, some poems were con-
probed and questioned, challenged and sidered in line with Nanak’s teachings, but were
abir’s words were primarily in two literary genres: gives rise to the art of the rhetoric, using language to engage, affect exposed, and ultimately jolted his audi- later viewed as too problematic with the evo-
rhymed couplets (known as doha, sakhi or shalok) and lyric and awaken people. Kabir’s verses are filled with verbs and calls to ence into facing the many truths of life lution of the Sikh tradition. The Guru Granth
poems (shabda, shabad, pad or bhajan), in addition to the action, tucked into extended metaphors, compelling arguments, dia- and death. This was the case especially in consists of hymns of the Sikh gurus, as well as
ramaini and folk song forms. The lyric poems, commonly logues and monologues (1983: p. 9-15). the Bijak, as the other two major manu- works of Hindu and Muslim saints, including
known as bhajans, vary in meter and are usually six to eighteen lines Good translations allow non-Hindi speakers to appreciate the scripts with Kabir’s works, Guru Granth Kabir. Of all the bhagats and Sufis whose works
in length, while the couplets are comprised of four half-lines (Hess genius of his poems. A common rule when translating is that the from Punjab and Panchvani from Rajasthan, were included, Kabir’s contribution was the larg-
1987: p. 113). These forms are placed in separate sections in writ- smallest element of translation may not be a word, but a phrase, sen- contain more bhakti-oriented (Vaishnava, est, with 541 poems (Dass 1991: p.7). Hess refers
ten compilations such as the Bijak, but are fluidly presented in oral tence or even paragraph, as there is much more than literal mean- in this instance) sentiments and language to the fascinating work of Gurinder Singh Mann,
performative contexts. For example, a bhajan is oftentimes preceded ing to communicate. The most famous English translations of Kabir’s (Hess 1987: p.117). Kabir’s poetry most often who found that two Kabir poems were included
by a thematically related doha or a string of dohas. The meter and poems were, until in more recent decades, those of Rabindranath includes an element of ridicule that makes in the Kartarpur Pothis (1604), but later marked as

arun kumar mishra—dinodia

melody of the couplet is often different from that of the main song.
Additionally, the singer has the poetic license to repeat certain words
or phrases, instilling additional layers of meaning and emotional-
ity in the listeners’ hearts. A literary device often found in Kabir’s
poetry is repetition with variation, and this can appear as a series of
negations, repeated words, or grammatical structures. Hess, in The
Bijak of Kabir, makes an insightful comment about how, while other
bhakti poets such as Mirabai, Surdas and Tulsidas address most of
their poems to God, Kabir addresses his words directly to us. This
Tagore published in 1915. Later, in 1976, American poet Robert Bly his words not only poignant but also highly “useless” and excluded from the Adi Granth. She
published newer versions of Tagore’s translations. Both of these are provocative. More often than not, the open- explains, “Both were ulatbamsi, “upside-down
still talked about, though we have more contemporary and argu- ing line would grab a listener’s attention: language” poems with outrageous, nonsensical,
ably better English translations today; most notably those by Kabir Hindus, Muslims, sometimes shocking imagery” (Hess 2015: p.141).
expert and Stanford University professor Linda Hess. Her renderings both deluded, always fighting. His ulatbamsi poems belonged to a long-standing
pay close attention to meaning, structure, as well as the orality that is Yogis, sheikhs, wandering Jains, Indian poetic tradition that expressed concepts in
the backbone for all of his words. Hess’s books, articles and intuitive all of them lost in greed. bizarre forms but served as rhetorical and teach-
translations have served as a foundation for this educational insight. ing devices, though it was certainly not everyone’s
(Hess 2015: p.294)
Kabir was a master of language, evidenced by the way he used cup of tea.

46 h i n d u i s m t o day j u ly / au g us t / s e p t e m b e r , 2 0 1 6 j u ly / au g us t / s e p t e m b e r , 2 0 1 6 h i n d u i s m t o day 47
Couplets from the Bījak Prahlad Singh Tipanya (with tambura)
in concert, dedicated to spreading
Kabir’s message of oneness
If you know you’re alive, Pride has fooled the best sages,
find the essence of life. pride devours all. 140
Life is the sort of guest
The mind: a mad killer-elephant.
you don’t meet twice. 10
The mind’s desires: hawks.

arun kumar mishra—dinodia

The three worlds are a cage, They can’t be stopped by chants or charts.
virtue and vice a net. When they like, they swoop and eat. 145
Every creature is the prey,
From good company, joy.
and one hunter:
From bad company, grief.
Death. 19
Kabir says, go where you can find
Color is born of color. company of your own kind. 208
I see all colors one.
Three men went on pilgrimage,
What color is a living creature?
jumpy minds and thieving hearts.
Solve it if you can. 24
Not one sin was taken away;
Who recognizes Ram’s name, they piled up nine tons more. 214 and death can’t eat you.
the bars of his cage grow thin. Walking from truth to truth,
Do one thing completely, all is done; what can destroy you? 308
Sleep doesn’t come to his eyes,
try to do all, you lose the one.
meat doesn’t jell on his limbs. 54 Dying, dying, the world keeps dying,
To get your fill of flowers and fruit,
The best of all true things water the root. 273 but none knows how to die.
is a true heart. No one dies in such a way
A sweet word is a healing herb, that he won’t die again. 324
Without truth no happiness,

d av i d t r at t n i g
a bitter word is an arrow.
though you try Source/references:
Entering by the door of the ear
a million tricks. 64 Hess, Linda, and Sukhdev Singh. The Bijak
it tears through the whole body. 301
So what if you dropped illusion? of Kabir. San Francisco: North Point, 1983.
If you’re true, a curse can’t reach you
You didn’t drop your pride.

Popular Bhajans
The donor is you, only you.
In man and woman
convention, all gone.
There’s no ground, no space,
Poet’s Praise the garb of religion. Kabir’s message of
doing away with discrimination of all kinds
personifies the nature of life, with its lack of
clearly defined boundaries. Today we live in a
you shine the same, no in, no out, nothing like is still relevant today in an era rife with world where people function as fluid entities
Jhīnī jhīnī bīnī chadariyā that it stayed just as it was Who in this world body or cosmos, “Singing Kabir is always an uplifting religious-social hatred and global terrorism. more than ever before, and in this current
Subtle, subtle, subtle is the at the start, that cloth. would call them two? no five elements, no experience. Kabir, the no-nonsense mystic Kabir brings me peace and hope. He is a context his appeal is great. From a musical
weave of that cloth. A baby arrives and starts to cry. three qualities, poet, talks of yoga (awakening of the guiding light for my spiritual journey.” standpoint, he speaks to that part of my
Subtle, subtle, subtle kundalini) as the only way to reach God/ identity that seeks to create outside borders.
What is the warp The babysitter is you, only you. no lyrics, no couplets. Pushkar Lele, Hindustani classical vocalist who
is the weave of that cloth. higher planes of existence. His singular specializes in Kabir and sings in the style of the His ideology complements artistic identities
what is the weft In earth, ocean, No root, flower, seed, creeper. legendary Kumar Gandharva
with what thread Tū kā tū message of looking inwards and finding (www.pushkarlele.com) that incorporate a myriad of influences.”
every creature, you alone Fruit shines the entire universe there is timeless. I no
did he weave You, only you
shine forth. Wherever without a tree. Aks (Ashwin Subramanian), Indian-
that cloth? longer feel compelled to enter big temples “To me, Kabir’s appeal comes from the fact that American composer and vocalist who
Hey wise wanderer, what’s the I look, only you. No inhale, exhale, upward, features Kabir extensively in his albums
or other such holy places, which have you cannot place a finger on his affiliation
Right and left secret? downward, and live shows of contemporary devotional
Kabir says, listen seekers, become commercial business hubs under with just one religious tradition. He music (www.akscomposer.com)
are warp and weft Just live your life well. no way to count
In this world, flowers, branches— You’ve found the guru
with the thread at the centre breaths.
wherever I look, right here, right now!
he wove that cloth Where that one lives,
you, only you.
Bibliography & Acknowledgements
Sākhīya vā ghar sab se nyārā there’s nothing.
The spinning wheel whirled
An elephant is you O friend, that house is utterly Kabir says, I’ve got it! Studies in a Devotional Tradition of India. Ed.
eight lotuses, five elements, other where he lives, my
three qualities, he wove in elephant form, If you catch my hint, you find Karine Schomer and W. H. McLeod. Berkeley, CA:
man, my complete one. Dass, Nirmal. Songs of Kabir from the Adi Performs the Poetry of Kabir. London: Seagull, 2009. Berkeley Religious Studies Series, 1987: 281-304.
that cloth an ant is just a little you. As the same place—
elephant driver There’s no grief or joy, no place. Granth. Albany: State U of New York, 1991. Hess, Linda. Three Kabir Collections: A Lorenzen, David N. “The Life of Kabir in
It took ten months you sit on top. The one who drives no truth or lie, Dharwadker, Vinay. Kabir: The Weaver’s Comparative Study. The Sants: Studies in a Legend” Who Invented Hinduism: Essays on
to finish the stitching is you, only you. no field of good and evil. Source/references: Songs. New Delhi, India: Penguin, 2003. Devotional Tradition of India. Ed. Karine Religion in History. New Delhi: Yoda, 2006.
thok! thok! he wove There’s no moon or sun, Hess, Linda. Bodies of Song: Hawley, John Stratton, and Mark Schomer and W. H. McLeod. Berkeley, CA: Ramanujan, A. K. The Collected
that cloth With thieves you become a thief, no day or night, Kabir Oral Traditions and Juergensmeyer. Songs of the Saints of Berkeley Religious Studies Series, 1987. Essays of A.K. Ramanujan.
you’re among the outlaws too. but brilliance Performative Worlds in India. New York: Oxford UP, 2004. Hess, Linda, and Sukhdev Singh. The Bijak Vaudeville, Charlotte, and Harry
Gods, sages, humans wrapped You rob someone and run away. Northern India. New York: Hawley, John Stratton. Three Bhakti Voices: of Kabir. San Francisco: North Point, 1983. B. Partin. “Kabir and Interior Religion.”
the cloth around them without light.
The cop who nabs the thief is you, Oxford UP, 2015. Mirabai, Surdas, and Kabir in Their Time Keay, Frank Ernest. Kabir and His Followers. History of Religions 3.2 (1964): 191-201.
they wrapped it only you. No wisdom, no meditation, Hess, Linda. Singing Emptiness: and Ours. New Delhi: Oxford UP, 2005. Calcutta: Association (Y.M.C.A.), 1931. Special Acknowledgement: Dr. Rajani Kant
and got it dirty no recitation, no renunciation, Kumar Gandharva Performs
Hess, Linda. Bodies of Song: Kabir Oral Lorenzen, David N. Kabir Legends and Director/General Secretary Human Welfare
that cloth With givers you become a giver, no Veda, Quran, Traditions and Performative Worlds in Ananta-das’s Kabir Parachai. Albany: Association, Varanasi (www.hwavaranasi.in),
you’re among the paupers too. the Poetry of Kabir, p. 60-101. Northern India. New York: Oxford UP, 2015. State U of New York, 1991. was instrumental in our photo shoot at
Kabir wrapped it with such care or sacred song. London: Seagull, 2009.
As a beggar you go begging. Action, possession, social Hess, Linda. Singing Emptiness: Kumar Gandharva Lorenzen, David. The Kabir Panth. The Sants: the two Kabir maths in Varanasi.

48 h i n d u i s m t o day j u ly / au g us t / s e p t e m b e r , 2 0 1 6 j u ly / au g us t / s e p t e m b e r , 2 0 1 6 h i n d u i s m t o day 49
 AR: Professor, you know Hindi and have
Where to Place Kabir? encountered his works more directly than most
of our readers will be able to. How would you
characterize his vernacular? Was he a Shake-
An Interview with Professor John Stratton Hawley, Barnard College, speare? An Omar Khayam? A Kahil Gibran?
Columbia University, New York, Conducted by Archana Nagarajan Please compare his linguistic style with poets
and songwriters we know.
JH: Well I’ll tell you what comes to mind: Bob
hat is your take on kabir’s hind- Dylan! I guess it’s the contrarian voice, and the
uness? The Sikhs claim him, the way Dylan undermined what counted as music
Muslims also. While his God cer- in his time. And you know what? People couldn’t
tainly transcends the proprietary get Dylan’s music out of their heads—just like
claims of faiths, it seems to us he stood most Kabir. But you could go farther—the Beatles,
firmly on Hindu soil. Would you comment? maybe, or Chuang Tzu, or Luther. And we better
JH: One of the striking things about Kabir is not forget about the American poets who have
that in a certain cluster of very well-known been so eager to take on Kabir themselves—Rob-
poems he sets Hindus and Muslims opposite ert Bly in our own time, and earlier, Ezra Pound.
to one another, rhetorically speaking—what AR: How would you connect the poet with the
the qazi does wrong and what the pundit does bhakti movement?
wrong. And those “wrongs” look an awful lot JH: If Kabir is part of what we call the bhakti
alike. So I find it pretty hard to locate Kabir as movement, it’s only because that idea has been
standing on either side of the fence. What he’s fashioned in significant part precisely to make
really saying is: There is no fence! Or if you him so. I’ve tried to make that case in my recent
think there is a fence, well, I don’t care about book A Storm of Songs. I love it that we look back
it very much. and try to find analogies between aspects of Kabir
You mention the Sikhs. We have a story and what we find in much earlier South Indian
about how Kabir met Baba Nanak in Banaras—a great story, but I’m bhakti poetry. But I doubt there’s a real lineage there, certainly not
skeptical that any such meeting happened in historical time. Cer- one that got passed from guru to pupil through the ages.
tainly we don’t have anything in Kabir’s poetry that reveals an aware- And the idea that bhakti might just be the groundwork for higher
ness of Sikh teaching as such. And yet it’s crucially important that self-realization? Oh man, would Kabir have a few things to say about
the Sikhs were among the first to collect Kabir’s poems and set them the conceits built into that one! I think he would have rejected it out
down on paper—in 1604 in the Kartarpur Bir, which formed the of hand.
backbone of the Guru Granth. He also appears in the Goindval Pothis, AR: Does the bhakti of Kabir allow for a pure non-dual percep-
which may have been composed as early as the 1570s, though we tion of the cosmos? Can his God be All and in all? Is his God all-
have no dated manuscripts. That’s early! If what would make Kabir pervasive? Is his God transcendent as well as immanent?
Hindu is that Hindus have embraced him—which by all means they JH: Yes to all of that. But I wonder whether Kabir would have

m e t r o p o l i ta n m u s e u m o f a r t, m a n h at ta n
have—then we’d have to make him Sikh by the same token. liked the self-ascribed purity that your question seems to imply—
So I’m worried about calling Kabir Hindu or Sikh—or Muslim, “pure non-dual perception.” He did seem to hold himself up as an
for that matter. I think he would rebel. But what about Vaishnava? example of what he was trying to get across—he talked out of his
There you could make a case. Maybe you think of that as a subset of own experience—but I don’t think it was because he thought he was
“Hindu,” but as it relates to Kabir, I wonder. At least, I don’t think that’s purer than anybody else. More non-dual than thou? I don’t think so.
how he thought about things. AR: Kabir has been heavily criticized for his depiction of women.
Think of all those poems where he intones the name of Ram. Most say that he deemed them contemptuous and the main reason
There’s nothing in his poetry to suggest that he cares at all about the for male sin. Yet, there a disparity in his writing when he goes from
Ramayana—he never tells any part of that story, so far as I know— this: “Woman ruins everything when she comes near man; Devo-
and yet: Ram! Ram as the name of the place where Kabir takes ref- tion, liberation, and divine knowledge no longer enter his soul;” to
uge. I’ve just been putting together an essay entitled “Can There Be a actually taking up a female persona: “My body and my mind are in
Vaishnava Kabir?” In the end I think we have to say yes to that. How depression because you are not with me. Then what is this love of
can we not? There are poems in the first dated text that gives us mine? The bride wants her lover as much as a thirsty man wants
access to Kabir—the 1582 anthology from Fatehpur, which especially water.” Can you comment?
features Surdas—and they just don’t make sense if you try to get rid JH: You’ve put your finger directly on one of the great Kabir
of the names of Krishna that appear there, Madhav or Banvari. If debates. Purushottam Agrawal has been eloquent in trying to explain recently spilled a few words trying to call into question the histori- Luminaries in conclave: This art is based on a well-known
these poems belong to Kabir—and I can’t see how we can cast them how we can live with this disparity, and Linda Hess no less so. It’s cal reality of the very bhakti movement you’ve just affirmed. It’s my Mughal miniature from the 1650s on the theme of a gathering of
out—then he has to be a Vaishnava. a big job, but I love this debate because it keeps us honest. It keeps Storm of Songs again. But never mind. Speaking of Kabir’s own time, holy men of Indian faiths. The main figures have been identified
But what is this Vaishnavism? It’s a sort of “vulgate” Vaish- us from deifying Kabir—or at least granting him sainthood. It makes the sixteenth century, Mirabai comes to mind. Now there clearly is a (from left to right) as Ravidas, Sena, Namdev, an Aughar, Kamal
navism—a very big-tent Vaishnavism. It makes us stand outside the us aware that he was a man of his times: how could he not be? And figure who’s come to serve as an example of how bhakti can be lib- and Kabir. The work, by artist Mir Kalan Khan ca. 1770–75, hangs
yard that we usually think of as being bounded by a Vaishnava fence. maybe it helps us feel a little more comfortable with the unruly para- erating for women—I mean, some women have felt that. Others have in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan, New York.
That’s where Kabir’s Ram is: beyond any fence. doxes of sexuality that continue to confront us all. not. But in any case we have to remember that there is only a single
So is Kabir Hindu? I guess I’d like to turn that question on its head. AR: Given Kabir’s contribution to the bhakti movement, would poem of Mira’s that can be firmly dated to the sixteenth century, her
I’d ask not whether Kabir fits the Hindu mold, but whether we can you say that his view on women would be a good representation of own. One! So who is this Mira we’re talking about? Yes, her story was embrace what they stand for. But when Nabhadas praises Kabir in
think of Hinduism in somewhat different terms than we usually do. that of the movement? The Bhakti movement strived for equality and being told even then, and already in different ways, but who was she? his Bhaktamal, we don’t hear about any of that.
This kind of Hinduism would have to be a religion eager to embrace attempted to ignore the jati system, was this of any benefit to women With Kabir it’s much clearer. Here we have a flood of words that AR: Would you like to add anything that we haven’t already
Kabir without denying that Muslims and Sikhs have a perfect right at all? were remembered as his own in the sixteenth century itself. Some talked about that you think is important with regard to Kabir?
to do so at the same time. JH: Well, I guess I have to confess right off the bat that I’ve of them, we know, concern women—either to fend them off or to JH: I can hear Kabir trying to shut me up.

50 h i n d u i s m t o day j u ly / au g us t / s e p t e m b e r , 2 0 1 6 j u ly / au g us t / s e p t e m b e r , 2 0 1 6 h i n d u i s m t o day 51
EDUCATION

Our Interreligious Future

The president of the Graduate Theological Union explains the
school’s vision as a unique center for multi-faith studies
B Y R I E S S W. P O T T E R V E L D

T 
he graduate theological union in In the past, when courses here have
Berkeley, California, where I serve as addressed the religions of India, they
president, is the largest interreligious and were often taught by Christian schol-
interdisciplinary graduate school in North ars who had become interested in and
America, offering masters and doctoral programs. intensively studied Hindu theology and
Comprising over twenty schools, centers and traditions and who then expanded their
institutes, it is a consortium begun in 1962 and repertory by including consideration of
accredited by the Western Senior College and Hindu traditions in a course. Our teach-

University Commission and the Association of
Theological Schools. Graduate students at the
GTU enjoy cross-registration privileges with
the University of California, Berkeley, Domini-
can University, Holy Names College and Mills
College.
Started as a joint PhD program and common
library by Protestant and Roman Catholic seminaries, the GTU has
always considered itself ecumenical and interreligious in mission. It
added a Center for Jewish Studies in 1968, an Institute of Buddhist
Studies in 1985 and a Center for Islamic Studies in 2007. Last Decem-
ber the GTU announced the opening of a new Center for Dharma
Studies with an inaugural gift of $4.4 million from Mira and Ajay
Shingal. Dr. Rita Sherma has been named the first Director and fac-
ulty member of the Center.
In the Center for Dharma Studies’ first year of operation, seven
students applied to undertake a PhD with Hinduism as a concentra-
tion. This is just the beginning, of course, and the school hopes that
many other students will enroll in the masters or doctoral program.
The GTU is also offering Jain and Sikh studies for the first time, in
cooperation with these communities in the Bay Area, and an MA
concentration in interreligious studies. This interreligious expansion
recognizes the profound importance of these Asian religions over
millennia and their important role in the contemporary world, and
underscores that interreligious education today needs the robust
presence of all of the major world religious traditions at the table.
To support these changes, the faculty members of the Graduate
Theological Union adopted a major revamping of the doctoral- and
masters-level curriculum that will go into effect next fall. Tradi-
tional academic categories like Biblical Studies (long associated with
Judaeo-Christian approaches) have been replaced by broader catego-
ries, such as Sacred Texts and Their Interpretation; likewise, Preach-
ing and Worship has become Religion and Practice. These curricular
changes are intended to be more inclusive of the variety of religious
traditions and to create a better framework for students and faculty
to pursue interreligious and comparative study.
There are four departments in the revised doctoral curriculum:
Sacred Texts and Their Interpretation, Theology and Ethics, Religion
and Practice, and Historical and Cultural Studies of Religion. Under
these four departments, students can invest in 30 different areas
of concentration, such as Hindu Theology or Comparative Ethics in
Hinduism, Jainism and Indian Buddhism.
c o u r t e s y g r a d u at e t h e o l o g i c a l u n i o n
ing faculty now are largely comprised of
scholar practitioners. A professor teach-
ing the New Testament is likely to be an
adherent of a particular brand of Chris-
tian belief, while a professor teaching
the Vedas is apt to personally engage in
contemplative practices of Hinduism.
While the normative standards of academic scholarship
are rigorously practiced and valued, it is very common that
faculty and students understand themselves as adherents
of a particular religious tradition that informs their own
personal identity, beliefs and practices. The distinction
here is that meditation or contemplation can be studied
by a careful neutral observer who describes what he or she sees or
understands from external study, but the GTU also welcomes con-
sideration of the interior knowledge that comes with actual religious
experience and practice.
This is an key distinction that separates a secular university con-
text from that of the Graduate Theological Union. In my own case,
I taught courses in religious studies at a large state university in
California for twelve years, mostly in the 1980s. At the time I was
also a minister in a Protestant church in the same community. It was
subtly suggested that I keep my “pastoral identity” as concealed or
cloaked as possible so that the university students would not see me
as biased or as having lost my objectivity and neutrality in dealing
with theological questions or biblical material. In that context there
was a certain pride in being a scholar in the religious studies depart-
ment where students were unable to determine whether the instruc-
tor belonged to a particular faith tradition or to no faith tradition
at all. One student finally saw my name and church affiliation on a
billboard and said, “Really…..I thought Potterveld was a Buddhist.”
That cloaking of identity was taken as a mark of value and academic
professionalism–it was considered important not to let one’s own
belief system intrude on the classroom presentation or discussion or
to exhibit even a subtle bias.
A professor of Hindu Studies and Sanskrit at a major university
confided to me her decision to record a traditional chant on her
university phone as a blessing to those who would call her when
she was out or unable to answer a telephone call. She reported that
this created quick pushback from colleagues because, they stated, the
practice revealed her own personal belief system and this was con-
sidered an incursion on the objective, scientific study of religion that
dominated the culture of the university department.
What is different at the GTU is that it is expected that faculty and
students can both be located within a particular religious tradition
and still be able to express critical views and interpretations that
vary according to the particular lenses utilized. Being clear about
one’s starting point or frame of reference helps others to account for
a given viewpoint.
The task of finding and hiring a scholar practitioner comes up
with every new religion that we add to our graduate programs. For
example, we are working with a Mormon Higher Education Council
in Northern California to fund a Chair in Mormon Studies. Ques-
tions emerge from the donors: Will the professor always have to be
Mormon himself or herself? Does being a “member” automatically
mean that the professor is incapable of critical judgment or of hold-
ing non-orthodox positions? These are questions that are particu-
larly asked when new religions or less familiar religions are being
introduced into the GTU’s educational platform. In an educational
environment where academic freedom is essential and rigorous
scholarship and critical thinking are high values, it is important for
search committees to find candidates who are comfortable living in
both the academic world and within a particular faith tradition. At
the GTU we have learned over the past 50 years that persons can
function as teachers, researchers and mentors while being trans-
parent about their own religious affiliation. We have also learned
that there are a plurality of interpretations and beliefs that operate
within the core of every human religion.
In addition to the centers and institutions already comprising
the GTU, two more schools are currently pondering whether or not
to become members of the consortium. The Institute of Buddhist
A center for all religions: (above) the main library and
administrative offices of the independent GTU are located adjacent
to the University of California Berkeley campus; (inset) the GTU
logo; (below right) display cases and book shelves inside what
is the largest circulating religious studies library in the world
Studies is currently an affiliate of the GTU but is in the process of
seeking separate WSCUC accreditation and might choose to become
a member school in the future. The addition of these schools would
add even more educational resources to this unique consortium
dedicated to the study of the world’s major religious traditions.
Today students may choose to study religion even when they do
not situate themselves within any particular religious tradition. An
increasing number of persons classify as “nones” (not affiliated with
any particular religious tradition) and may not go to church, syna-
gogue, mosque or temple. They may practice a wide and eclectic set
of religious or spiritual ideas drawn from multiple traditions. All of
these realities suggest that a formal program of religious graduate
education needs to provide flexibility and an opportunity for stu-
dents to shape their own study.
Our hope is that the capacity to offer deep study of Hindu, Jain,
Buddhist and Sikh traditions along with the other major religions of
the world will create a unique and needed platform for interreligious
and interdisciplinary study in the 21st century.

52 h i n d u i s m t o day j u ly / au g us t / s e p t e m b e r , 2 0 1 6 j u ly / au g us t / s e p t e m b e r , 2 0 1 6 h i n d u i s m t o day 53
 a l l p h o t o s : s u s a n c a p e r n a l l oy d
Reverence for the Divine Feminine:
(clockwise from far left) Goddess Kali
is worshiped at one of the Pandals, a
temporary structure built to house the
Goddess throughout Navratri; Saint
Sara Kali is dressed in 57 capes by the
Roma gypsies in France; Sara Kali is
paraded through Saintes Maries de
la Mer before being submerged in the
Mediterranean Sea; signs announcing
Kali puja are seen everywhere throughout
Kokata’s streets; Kali’s Dakshineswar
Temple just outside Kolkata
Mediterranean Sea the following year.
It is said the Roma have roots in India.
They began their westward migration from
there a thousand years ago. Perhaps it is
within Sara Kali that the Roma had not fully
forgotten the Hindu Kali, an important Deity
in India? I wondered, “Is there any connec-
tion between the two?” These were ques-
tions for a cultural anthropologist. So, with
my camera in hand, I became something of
one, hoping to find answers to questions that
so fascinated me.
But this curiosity to find Roma roots or
meet the Hindu Kali wasn’t the only reason
I went to India. Just a few years before this
journey, my two younger sisters had tragical-
ly died. Then my father died, and lastly my
mother. I was alone. I could not let go of these
deaths. My family’s souls were like ghosts
that haunted me. Anger and grief hung over
me like a cloud, and I now feared my own
death. This affected the way I was living; it
prevented me from living.
I began to talk with Hindu friends in the
US about the Goddess Kali. She was the fe-
male aspect of God. She was dark, they said.
I could bring to Her my anger and fears and
She would absorb them. I was told that Kali
emanated from Durga and battled demons,
and that sometimes She got carried away in
Her fight. I could easily relate to this in my-
self. Siva—Kali’s consort—had to stop Her in
Her fury and is thus found laying down at
Her feet. Who or what might stop my fury,
I wondered? And so I went to India, to speak
with Kali.

THE GODDESS

Discovering Divinity in Dissolution

How one woman’s curiosity led her to a profound encounter with
Goddess Kali, affording her peace in the aftermath of personal loss

By Susan Caperna Lloyd Asian-faced Goddess to the shores of the sea thousand years ago or more—by all accounts
y inspiration to travel to kol- to be submerged. During the event that year, I heard, they had come from the East.

M
  kata was thanks to the saint of the I, too, entered the water.
Roma gypsy people, Sara la Kali. I I knew this immersion was of Goddess
had recently watched her immer- Shakti, although no one mentioned it at
sion in the Mediterranean Sea during what is Saintes Maries. But I knew Shakti was im-
known as her annual feast day, on May 24th portant. I had followed the trail of other black
I noted that the gypsies at Saintes Maries
faced Sara Kali to the east when they brought
her to the sea. Four horsemen on white
steeds sheltered their saint in the water and
held tridents aloft. A symbol of the Greek’s
in Saintes Maries de la Mer, France. deities in France and Italy—dark Catholic Poseidon maybe, or perhaps of the Hindu
Sara la Kali is a Catholic saint who is tra- saints revered in sanctuaries, healing those God Siva? Following her immersion, Sara
ditionally dressed with 57 robes. Each year, who came to them. Deities which had mys- Kali is then returned to the church to await
thousands of gypsies carry this delicate, teriously floated to Mediterranean shores a another feast day and immersion into the

54 h i n d u i s m t o day j u ly / au g us t / s e p t e m b e r , 2 0 1 6 j u ly / au g us t / s e p t e m b e r , 2 0 1 6 h i n d u i s m t o day 55

A sacred art: (above) A sculptor in
Kolkata’s Kumartuli distict works on a
clay image of the Goddess; (left) another
craftsman in the district works on the
painted designs that will be applied to a
Kali whose face is yet to be completed
I arrive in Kolkata during Kali Puja (Na-
vararti), at the end of October, 2014. Huge
posters of Kali are everywhere in the teem-
ing city—Her fierce face, Her tongue out, six
flailing arms, three with weapons and three
in gestures of healing. I immediately walk
to Babu Ghat, where Kali will soon be im-
mersed in the Hooghly River, a tributary of
the Ganga. Tomorrow it begins. Brahmins
sleep in the ghat’s entryway. Other pilgrims
bathe or gather water from the river in ter-
racotta pots. I am a foreigner, but the pilgrims
smile at me as I sit on the ghat’s steps.
There I ponder the impossible; I have been
told that by tomorrow night, 10,000 statues
of Kali will come here.
That first afternoon, I visit Kolkata’s
Kumartuli District workshops—literally
“God’s own Workshop”—in one of the oldest
areas of the city. It is here that these sacred
forms of the Goddess are created. A guide,
Shekar, accompanies me. It is a tented area
covering several city blocks. Intricate and
elaborate statues of Kali in all sizes crowd the
alleyway studios in various stages of comple-
tion. Artisans show me how the Kalis are
56 h i n d u i s m t o day j u ly / au g us t / s e p t e m b e r , 2 0 1 6
a l l p h o t o s : s u s a n c a p e r n a l l oy d
Worship: (above) another stunning
Kali at a neighborhood pandal; (right)
devotees give offerings of incense to the
Mother Goddess at a streetside shrine
forms Her.
The next afternoon is the big day. I gather
my camera gear and head to Babu Ghat. The
made. From gathered Ganga mud, they are first Kalis come in. Small ones, maybe three
put into molds. Armatures are created from feet tall. Some families bring them in rick-
wood and straw. Molded parts are affixed shaws. They carry Her down Babu Ghat’s
and faces painted on Kali, on Siva beneath stairs and through the mud. At the river’s
Her and on Siva’s Naga, the snake. Black hair shore they turn Her three times clockwise,
is attached to Kali and crimson saris cover reverse clockwise, again, repeat, and again.
Her body. She wears necklaces of the heads She is now ready for immersion. They take
of demons. What craftsmanship. I want to Her into the water and the carriers tip Her.
take one home with me. There are thousands. Down She goes. The beautiful Deity floats for
The workers heave the Kalis onto trucks a moment, then sinks.
and bring them to the pandals—the Kol- More Kalis come. Now they are ten feet tall,
kata neighborhood altars where they will be then fifteen feet. The fierce-looking Kalis
worshiped until their submersion. There are come to the water. Over they go. They sink.
thousands of pandals across Kolkata. Some So many beautiful statues destroyed.
large with faux marble columns and fine Through the night, thousands more Kalis
fabrics, all on stages with lights. Some pan- come to the ghat. They get bigger and bigger.
dals are small and humble. The neighbor- By 4 am the largest Kalis arrive. Trucks line
hoods sponsoring them are proud no matter up for miles, loaded with the Kali from their
the size or complexity. pandals. Each waits its turn. Emanations
That night fireworks rocket through the of Kali appear—the Mahavidyas, in all Her
sky as priests at the pandals chant prayers to forms. So many Kalis. I am dumbstruck. The
Kali from ancient scriptures. Incense billows biggest is 40 feet tall. It takes 40 carriers to
as She watches. The priests offer Her sweets, get Her off the truck, onto a sledge, through
red hibiscus flowers, rice and lentils. Pri- the mud and down to the river—a gargan-
vate homes even have mini pandals and hire tuan effort. The crowd is in a frenzy. They
priests to chant prayers through the night. dance around Kali. How can they now tip
At one large pandal I am invited to have a late the gigantic Kali over? It is difficult. A final
supper in the community room of the apart- strain by the crowd of carriers and She goes
ment block. over. Then down in a huge splash. Her face
This is all building up to Kali’s fate: She floats in the water, then She disappears.
will soon be immersed in the Hooghly. All Dissolution. Impermanence. I think of the
10,000 images of Her. The pandals must give Catholic statues of the Black Madonna I have
Kali up. But this is exciting. Her true home is seen brought to other far-off waters and im-
the river. After all, the river, its mud, is what mersed—Sara Kali being one of them. But
j u ly / au g us t / s e p t e m b e r , 2 0 1 6 h i n d u i s m t o day 57
 a l l p h o t o s : s u s a n c a p e r n a l l oy d

Embracing the end as a new beginning: Here, all of the remains of Babu Ghat’s Ka-
(top from left to right) one of thousands of lis are soon fished out of the water. But She is
Kalis is paraded to the river, accompanied nothing now. Her beauty has disintegrated. A
by dancing devotees; one of the largest giant crane lifts the remains out of the wa-
is brought to the River; the Goddess is ter; unrecognizable; parts. Who is this Diety?
submerged in the waters; Kali emerges The crane deposits the remains in a giant
from the river; (below from left to right) mountain of debris to the side of the water.
the clay Kalis are all pulled from the river Women scramble up the mountain to find a
and piled together on the bank; the ghats fragment of a sari or perhaps a silver crown.
at Varanasi; a puja is performed for the The wooden armatures are recycled. The
author’s deceased family, releasing them to people tell me they will be reused the next
move on; in the morning, Mother Ganga year. Kali will be made again.
shines golden in the light of the rising sun With the other women I climb up the
heap. I want to experience the dissolution of
Kali. Her angry, smashed face, Her parts torn
these Catholic deities are then saved. I won- asunder. We step on Siva, as She has stepped
der what they are saved for, or what from? on Him. We all step over our fears and our
From death? They are not destroyed; they are demons. Everything is a jumble. Siva, His face
brought back to their respective churches for is mixed in with parts of Kali. The Naga, in
another immersion the following year. pieces. All returned to the earth, to the river,
and now, perfect nothing.
I have spoken to Kali through the night. I
have seen Her fierce beauty. The demons
around Her neck which She has killed. I see
what Her lesson is. She has concluded, the
fury has stopped. She must now return to
the river.
Shakti experienced in a new way. Mad-
ness, and anger become nothing. But it is
not death. It is something else. Is it possible
that by joining with these women on this
heap, my own anger and fears can dissipate?
I have experienced this dissolution with the
pilgrims at Babu Ghat. A ritualization of
mourning. Thousands of people with their
own special Kalis, perhaps feeling things
similar to mine. That is the point. Sometimes
one cannot do it alone. I walk along the shore
and see remnants of Kali. The water and the
tide will soon take every vestige of Her away.
A few days later I take this lesson to Vara-
nasi. There I am on the Ganga proper. Vara-
nasi is called Kashi, India’s holiest place. This
place is Siva’s, and it is Kali’s. They are tied
together in creation and destruction. She is
the mother to whom we must return. There
are cremations at the ghats in Kashi. I am fas-
cinated by them. I watch a family at a moth-
er’s cremation. The son officiates. When
the body is fully burned, the son finds his
mother’s hipbone in the ashes. With a stick
he hurls it into the Ganga. She, the mother, is
returned to the mother water.
Shakti. Eternal Shakti. Hindus come to die
in Kashi so they can return to the mother. I
hope some day I can be returned like this to
the water.
And what about the grief I have felt for my
family? I talk with a brahmin at Kashi about
this. He says I should do my own puja. In
my obsession with my family’s deaths, I am
hanging onto their souls. This may be trap-
ping them in the in-between. They may not
be able to reincarnate yet, the Brahmin says.
We take a boat to the other side of the
Ganga. There, we create panda rice balls for
each of my family members and recite man-
tras. We consecrate the pandas and throw
them into the Ganga. I throw my family’s
souls away. Like Kali, at Kolkata, they sink
into the Ganga. I release my suffering, I feel
good. Their souls can now travel on. I then
bathe in Mother Ganga.
I experienced dissolution myself. Imper-
manence. Everything returns to the water,
to Shakti. Although I have been raised as an
Italian Catholic, I think I am a Hindu at heart.
Thank you, India, and thank you, Kali. ∏π
Susan Caperna Lloyd, has been docu-
menting cultural rituals through photogra-
phy and film for many years. Specializing in
black and white, she has photographs ex-
hibited at UCLA, Columbia College (Chica-
go), Valparaiso University, Meridian Gallery
(San Francisco), Italy, the UK and in private
collections. susanlloyd2001@hotmail.com

58 h i n d u i s m t o day j u ly / au g us t / s e p t e m b e r , 2 0 1 6 j u ly / au g us t / s e p t e m b e r , 2 0 1 6 h i n d u i s m t o day 59

all photos courtesy stephen huyler
C U LT U R E
Lord Ganesha’s Sweet American Ride
With Ganapati bolted onto the hood and dancing on the doors of his
Ganeshmobile, this anthropologist drives the culture of India across America
By Stephen Huyler, Maine
verywhere i drive in the united
E States I am greeted with smiles. Peo-
ple wave, children laugh and point,
occasionally someone will make a
pranam in my direction. It is all because of
my Ganeshmobile. It entrances everyone.
It began about twenty years ago when
an elderly friend here in Maine purchased
a 1930s Daimler hood ornament that he
affixed to the front of his beat-up 1960s Ford
pick-up. I thought it was a great idea and
asked him if he could tell me where he found
it. Then I realized that it truly made no sense
for me to have one on my car. What would
it symbolize? My work is in India. Among
other things, I write books and organize
exhibitions about Hinduism. Wouldn’t it
make much more sense for me to employ a
Hindu symbol on my car?
The next time I was in Tamil Nadu, I
made of point of traveling to Swamimalai,
the capitol of fine, South Indian lost-wax
bronze sculpting and casting. I met there
with Radhakrishna Sthapati, a master artist I
had previously interviewed. I commissioned
him to sculpt for me a dancing Ganesh, eight
inches tall, with a heavy bolt cast into its
base that could be secured through the hood
60 h i n d u i s m t o day j u ly / au g us t / s e p t e m b e r , 2 0 1 6
of my car.
Friends had warned me that to mount
such an unusual and fine sculpture on my
car would be tempting fate—that it would
be torn off the hood by vandals or thieves.
Even though I tend to trust people, I had the
sthapati create two identical sculptures for
me. I was thrilled when they arrived in the
mail a few months later: each an excellent
rendition of a masterful Chola-style bronze.
I put one aside for safety, had a hole drilled
in the front of my Audi station wagon’s hood,
and mounted the other. I also had ordered a
vanity plate from the Maine Department of
Motor Vehicles that stated simply: “Ganesh”.
Together the two were an immediate suc-
cess. I drove the car everywhere—to Boston,
New York, Philadelphia and later across the
country to California and back. People would
honk and wave when they saw my license
plate. When the car was parked, many peo-
ple would examine the dancing Ganesh with
delight. It was certainly never ripped off,
even when parked overnight on a Manhat-
tan street. And although many might pass
it off as pure superstition, my luck in find-
ing parking spaces changed dramatically. All
I would need to do was visualize an empty
space, acknowledge Ganesh, and one would
open up wherever I needed it!
On my cross-country drive, I stopped for
gas at a Navaho station in the middle of New
Mexico. Near the gas pumps was a long table
lined with strings of glass beads sold by a
colorfully dressed Native American woman. I
purchased a simple string for two dollars and
doubled it to hang over Ganesh’s neck like
a mala. I did not even wire it on. It remains
there to this day, still on the original Ganesh
although mounted on a different vehicle, still
only loosely hung around His neck. It has
been through rain and windstorms, bliz-
zards and even a tornado and never has even
blown off! I consider it a good example of
Ganesh’s protective nature.
In 2005, I helped host a group of Sufi
musicians from Rajasthan who came to give
a concert in my small coastal town. When
they first saw my car, they immediately and
spontaneously gathered in front to chant
a Ganesh mantra to the murti on its hood!
I was deeply moved. Here was a group of
Muslim men on their first visit to a foreign
country singing a Hindu Ganesh mantra to
an American’s car!
In 2008, I wanted to be more environ-
mentally proactive and decided to purchase
a Toyota Prius. At that time demand for this
car was so high in the US that the waiting
list was four months. I could not choose the
color of the vehicle or what extras might
be included. When I picked up my new car
from the dealer in Portland, Maine, I was dis-
mayed to discover that it was dark grey. Four
decades in India has taught me to love bright
colors. I never wear black or grey and I didn’t
want to drive such a dull-hued car. I told the
Toyota dealer that I was planning to have the
vehicle painted and he responded that that
would be a bad choice. It would devalue the
car for future resale. However, I could instead
cover the grey with a vinyl wrap. When
I asked what that was, he told me that it is
the same process used to put graphics on
the sides of busses or commercial vans. For
a relatively inexpensive cost (less than hav-
ing it painted), I could have my car covered
with a solid shade or make it two-toned or
perhaps give it a racing stripe. I am an artist.
This opened for me a palette of choices!
I contacted a local design shop, Adventure
Advertising, to execute the process. For the
pattern to cover the car I chose my grand-
mother’s late nineteenth century paisley
shawl. In the midst of a heavy Maine win-
ter, the designers sculpted a life-size Prius
out of a snow bank and draped the shawl
over it, photographing it at high resolution
from each angle. To complement the Ganesh
theme, we scanned a painting of a dancing
Ganesh and digitally imbedded it into the
shawl. They then copied these images into a
template of the Prius and printed the entire
thing onto adhesive vinyl, carefully adhering
it to every external surface of the car. Once
that was complete, they drilled the hood and
remounted my Chola-style dancing Ganesh
at the front. The car was finished.
When I first saw it, I was delighted, but
concerned that it would be too ostentatious
to drive. But as soon as I took it out on the
Driving his talk: (opposite) Huyler in his
Ganeshmobile in the driveway of his home
in Camden, Maine, 2008; (clockwise from
left) Steven says his Ganesh license plate and
the bronze dancing Ganesh hood ornament
have opened up parking spaces and protected
his journeys for years; detail of the dancing
Ganesh printed on the Prius’ back door is
derived from a Rajput miniature in Stephen’s
collection; Stephen and his wife Helene with
in front of Mingei International Museum in
San Diego where Stephen curated two large
exhibitions of Indian art in July, 2009
road, I realized I had a winner. First of all,
there is something very gratifying about
driving down the street with the image
of Ganesh leading me wherever I go. Then
the response of almost every person I pass
is heartening. Frowns change to grins,
eyes light up, people wave and call out.
My car is boldly festive.
It has been driven across the entire
country twice. Once in Asheville, North
Carolina, and again in Santa Fe, New
Mexico, large groups of pedestrians spon-
taneously broke into cheers and huz-
zahs, while many immediately put their
hands together in a pranam and sang out
praises to Ganesh. The trip each way went
smoothly, unobstructed by any difficulties.
In the years since then, my Ganeshmo-
bile has held up perfectly through rain
and storms and the harsh Maine win-
ters. The paisley finish still looks new,
unblemished by any scratches, dents
or peeling. Ganesh Himself still dances
proudly in front, assuring me that I will
always find a good parking space and
that everything during my drive will go
smoothly. In my cupboard at home is a
second unused bronze Ganesh with a
bolt in its base. It was never required to
replace the first. No one would dream of
harming my car or its murti. As I drive,
the Navaho beaded mala blows gently
back in the wind. And I am safe—assured
of the best possible experience. ∏π
Stephen Huyler is a renowned cultural
anthropologist documenting the
peoples, arts and rituals of India.
For forty-five years, his writing and
photography have served as a bridge of
communication between India and the
rest of the world. see:
www.stephenhuyler.com
j u ly / au g us t / s e p t e m b e r , 2 0 1 6 h i n d u i s m t o day 61
BOOK REVIEW are adopted as truth by modern sive Sanskrit tradition’s power and
media, and then our own young prestige.

The Battle to Thwart a New Threat:

Hindus—has moved from old In this now-dominant construct,
school European indologists to a Ravana is presented as a resister
new breed of American scholars. against Aryan aggression who is
In his book, Malhotra dives deep shown his place by the Aryan hege-
Denial of Sanskrit’s Sacred Dimension into the work of one such scholar,
Sheldon Pollock—a professor at
Columbia University. In a bizarre
mon Rama.

The Way Forward

transfer of control over our liter- Malhotra concludes his book with
Rajiv Malhotra’s new book is a tactical campaign to return the translation ary heritage, Professor Pollock, not a summary and a strategy. “Among
Hindu scholars, is now in charge the Western and Western-based
and interpretation of India’s spiritual literature back to devout Hindu hands of the translation and editing of indologists there are those leading
hundreds of classical Sanskrit texts. an aggressive and well-organized
Why bizarre? Malhotra shows how movement to position the study of
By Dr. Koenraad Elst Malhotra may not have academic status, but ing to fear from the present one. Here then Pollock’s approach to Sanskrit stud- Sanskrit as a political battle ground.
ajiv malhotra’s latest book is not the thesis of his present book is essentially is a meritorious role that Malhotra has in- ies consistently undervalues the They claim it is infused with toxic

R a work of Sanskrit scholarship. It

deals not with grammar or litera-
ture, but with the politics of Sanskrit
scholarship itself. The Battle for Sanskrit, Is
Sanskrit Political or Sacred? Oppressive or
Liberating? Dead or Alive? (TBFS, Harper-
Collins, Delhi 2016, 468 pp) reveals and ex-
amines mechanisms of knowledge produc-
tion and intellectual control in the globalized
post-modern world. In particular, the author
documents the American attempt to wrest
control over the Sanskrit tradition from the
indigenous pandits, thus disempowering the
backbone of Hindu tradition.
The Battlefield
Rajiv Malhotra, now living in Princeton, New
Jersey, took early retirement at 44 from a very
successful business career as a computer sci-
entist working as a senior executive in the
telecom industries. He then founded the In-
finity Foundation to study the power equa-
tions underlying the way Western scholars
construe India. He calls himself an intellec-
tual kshatriya, a warrior who fights on
the field of ideology to protect Hindu
culture and our scriptures from the on-
slaught by the West. Though he is well-
informed and productive in developing
and documenting relevant concepts,
Western academics and even Hindu na-
tionalist detractors have lambasted him
as not having the adhikara (prerogative)
to criticize the academic world.
In the feudal age, one’s status trumped
the humble consideration of whether
one’s words were true. In the modern
age things work differently. Albert Ein-
stein was a mere clerk with no adhikara
ruchi sood
right, and it is a direct challenge to the aca- creasingly played since he started his series
demic India-watchers. of books: getting Hindus up from their cosy
Malhotra observes that most Hindus are unconcern and into reality. In particular, he
not aware that a war is raging for the de- has taught them to scan the forces in the
struction of their civilization. They don’t field and take an objective look at the hos-
spiritual dimension that Hindus
associate with this ancient tongue,
portraying it as a language of op-
pression. Pollock’s motives deserve
the benefit of the doubt; he has for
elements supporting Vedic, brah-
minic and royal hegemony and that
it encodes oppressive views of shu-
dras, women, Muslims and all those
who can be construed as ‘others.’
come out of their comfort zone, out of their tile agents approaching Hindu society with instance deplored the decline of Most academic Sanskrit research is
career and family concerns, and hence have flattering smiles and idealistic-sounding classical studies in India, and he is being taken over by two different
never developed a sense of the enormous pretexts. attempting to fill that void. But he vested interests: (a) social scientists
hostility that is targeting them in the ugly For the past, this job was done by the likes reproduces the negative valuation and humanities scholars wanting
wide world. Foreign experts in Arabic or of late historian Sita Ram Goel. But very few of Hinduism, which Western In- to reinterpret India’s past and re-
Chinese tend to sympathize with the civili- people are equipped to map out the situation dia-watchers are spoon fed. Do we engineer its future by exhuming the
zation or polity they study, and to defend it in the present, particularly the interaction want that aversion for Hinduism toxicity they perceive in Hinduism;
against prejudices and hostile stereotypes; between the academic world in the US and to hold sway over the Sanskrit and (b) scientists, environmentalists,
but in South Asian Studies (the terms In- the intellectual sphere in India. The Ameri- heritage? Malhotra observes that spiritual seekers, self-help experts
dian and Hindu are taboo in those circles), cans’ agenda of national self-interest has it “would hand over the authority and ‘new thought gurus’ intent on
the opposite is the case. When, like every joined with that of the Indian secularists, of Sanskrit studies to Westernized mining its treasure of knowledge.
immigrant group, US-based Hindus wish to who use American universities as a staging scholars using [Pollock’s] political “I am proposing what I call a ‘sa-
correct the schoolbooks to make them less ground for their anti-Hindu assault. philology and not Sanskrit’s own cred philology,’ rooted in the con-
hostile and more accurate regarding Hindu Under British rule the foreigners’ view of literary theories or Indian socio- viction that Sanskrit cannot be
history, South Asia scholars move in not to India had only limited consequences, though political resources. Persons who are politicized interpretation, which he terms divorced from its matrix in the
support but to thwart them. they did bequeath to India a Nehruvian elite. outsiders to the Indian traditions would call “political philology.” Anything good in the Vedas and other sacred texts, or from its ori-
In the face of this aggression by “experts,” Today, the “deconstruction” of Hinduism by the shots, and even become the proxies to book is, of course, the product of “borrowing entation towards the transcendent realm. It’s
Hindus think that since Sanatana Dharma “experts” influences policies and socio-cul- represent the downtrodden” (p. 178). from Buddhism” (in accord with the reign- stance would be quite different from that of
has survived several onslaughts, it has noth- tural evolutions inside India and gets broad- Ever-more born Hindus are patronized by ing assumption: “Hinduism bad, Buddhism the Western, secular academy. Sacred philol-
cast into every Indian village. Indeed, the likes of Pollock or Wendy Doniger. In a good”). So he juggles the chronology to make ogy involves first of all a respect for, and pref-
even some Hindu leaders have come sad scenario, these second generation Hindus the Buddha predate Valmiki. Malhotra erably a practice of, the sadhanas that have
to intone destructive messages, such become part of the academic cabal that is at- writes, “Pollock’s over-arching motive is to supported the dharmic traditions for centu-
as “All religions say the same thing” tacking Hinduism. The author writes, “The make a chronology according to which all ries, including tapasya and meditation.”
(so don’t worry if your daughter con- effect of Pollock’s project on some Hindus is Hindu innovations came only after the Bud-
verts to another faith) and “Yoga is not alienation from their roots and the develop- dha, the idea being that prior to Buddhism Hindus Need to Study the Issues
Hindu.” The Sringeri Math was about ment of an inferiority complex.…This alien- the Hindus were incapable of innovation as Rajiv Malhotra has taken a powerful stand
to entrust its traditions to the care of ation spreads quickly. Bright young Indians… a result of their oral tradition.… Rationality to ward off a clear and present danger and
American Sanskritists, but Malhotra rush to enter the university factories of this entered India only after the Buddha came, appeals to us all: “It is clear to me that many
warned them, hopefully in time. nexus and end up spreading the indoctrina- according to him, and only then did it be- present-day Hindu leaders are ineffective
So, on one side of the battlefield is tion to the public.” (p. 327) come possible to compose complex rational in understanding and engaging the world
a sleep-walking Hindu society that Many Hindus are under the impression texts.” (p. 390) of non-Hindus. We tend to either avoid the
doesn’t realize what’s happening. On that scholarship, including translation, is an At heart, Pollock argues the epic to be differences that arise or become defensive or,
the other is an ever-growing army of ideologically neutral job. In reality, transla- evil—a trick by Brahmins and monarchs to in a good many cases, tragically capitulate to
foreign scholars and India-watchers, tion comes with an interpretative framework justify royal power, priestly authority and the other side. What is needed is a dispas-

when he launched the revolutionary allied with every divisive force inside that insinuates a number of anti-Hindu caste apartheid. Moreover, he claims that, in sionate analysis of the other side that does
Relativity Theory. Closer to home, Shri- India. assumptions. justifying the war against Ravana, the Rama- not slip into any of these modes. We must
kant Talageri was belittled as a mere yana essentially declares war on all outsid- look deeper if we are to understand the ca-
bank clerk when he showed academics Dr. Koenrad Elst and Rajiv Malhotra: at The The Case of Professor Pollock Reinterpeting the Ramayana ers, particularly the Muslims—though these pacity (or lack thereof) of Hindus for intel-
that the very readings and Vedic analyses Battle for Sanskrit book event, organized by Samskrita The knowledge production machine According to Malhotra, Pollock’s earlier invaders would only arrive a thousand years lectual engagement with groups that have a
on which they swore as evidence for an Bharati at Constitution Club, Rafi Marg, New Delhi, relating to Sanskrit—translations into works give us a clear indication of his posi- later. So Pollock champions the Muslims different world view.” Every Hindu who can
Aryan invasion from outside of india, did February, 2016, one of 25 such events held across India English, commentaries, analyses, texts tion. He has openly declared that the San- along with the low-castes and Dravidians contribute is called upon to do their purva
in fact logically proved that India itself that have ignited a fire storm of awareness to restore for university students and personal skrit language is dead. His treatment of against Rama’s wicked aggression, thus to paksha—read about and understand the is-
was the homeland of the Indo-Europeans. control of Sanskrit scholarship to Hindu practitioners opinions of so-called experts that Valmiki’s Ramayana displays a contrived dislodge whatever remains of the oppres- sues. Then, join in the struggle. ∏π

62 h i n d u i s m t o day j u ly / au g us t / s e p t e m b e r , 2 0 1 6 j u ly / au g us t / s e p t e m b e r , 2 0 1 6 h i n d u i s m t o day 63
 l e t h o m e r e m e d i e s . c o m | w w w.ta l i m p u . c o m

n a n i ’s i n d i a n c o o k i n g

f l o w e ry p r o s e . c o m
Amazing versatility: (opposite) Fenugreek seeds; (inset) roasted and
powdered leaves; (clockwise from above) fresh methi plants flourishing in the
garden; methi sprouts, packed with nutrition; chopped methi leaves added
to Indian flat bread; the leaves and sprouts used in a gourmet salad
SPICE WORLD

Bitter Is Better—the Magic of Methi shown antifungal properties.

In vitro studies of essential oils from
its value in the prevention and control
of cancer. Fenugreek seed extract dem-

fenugreek have demonstrated antimicrobial
activity against five bacteria—Proteus, Esch-
For thousands of years fenugreek and its seeds have wielded their erichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudo-
monas aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumoni-
powers on our plates, our palettes and in nature’s home pharmacies ae, and one yeast—Candida albicans. A 2008
Oxford Journals article reported on in vitro
studies showed fenugreek extracts to be ef-
by lakshmi sridharan, phd isoleucine, 4-hydroxyisoleucine, histidine, greek seeds and leaves for treating a wide fective against resistant strains of the malar-
hough little known in the west, leucine, lysine, l-tryptophan, and arginine. variety of ailments, including allergies, bron- ia-causing parasite Plasmodium.
l i s a’s v e g e ta r i a n k i t c h e n
onstrated 70% inhibition of tumor-cell
growth in mice, compared with controls.
The phytochemicals in the seed extract
have been shown to inhibit human leu-
kemia HL-60 cells and cell proliferation
in the human osteo sarcoma. Fenugreek
seed extract has been shown to decrease
the incidence of breast cancer. In animal
studies, fenugreek appeared to protect

T fenugreek—called methi in India—has The seeds also contain a huge number of chitis, diabetes, dyspepsia, edema in leg,
a three-thousand-year history of me- biotherapeutic compounds, including aster- emphysema, fever, flatulence, flu, high cho-
dicinal use in Egypt, southern Europe, penoids, alkaloids, flavonoids and phenolics.
India, Asia and northern Africa. Its medici-
nal value is noted in ancient writings such as Time-Proven Medicinal Uses
lesterol, hypertension, kidney problems, and
more. Its potent anti-inflammatory action
helps fight a whole spectrum of ills cause by
Health Enhancement
Fenugreek absorbs and eliminates tox-
ins and aids excretion of fecal bile acid and
cholesterol. Because of its anti-inflammatory
against colon cancer.

Everyday Use
“Food is medicine” is the slogan of the
day. Replacing junk foods in your diet
the papyri found in Egyptian tombs and the Among the six tastes classification in inflammation. Fenugreek seeds are widely properties, it is used to treat peptic ulcers with healthful, high-nutrient foods
records of the Roman emperor Charlemagne. ayurveda, methi falls in the bitter category, used for female issues: menstrual cramps, and inflamed conditions of the stomach and can keep many diseases at bay. Drink
Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum graecum) which plays an important role in balancing childbirth pain and cervical cancer. Taken bowel. The seed extract is rich in mucilage, fenugreek-seed tea to relieve symptoms
also called Bird’s Foot, Bockshornklee, and out pitta and kapha doshas—the heat and as food, methi promotes lactation in nursing acting as a lubricant and forming a protec- of irritable bowel syndrome, colitis and
Greek Hayseed, is indigenous to North Af- fluid humors in our constitution. Ayurvedic, mothers. tive, healing coating over inflamed areas. diverticulitis. A gargle made from the
rica, the Middle East, Morocco, and eastern Unani and Chinese medicine all use fenu- Fenugreek reduces the level of calcium oxa- seeds does wonders for ordinary sore

shutterstock
Mediterranean countries. It is wide- Modern Scientific late, the causative agent for kidney stones. It throat. Drink a glass of diluted but-
ly cultivated in India, Egypt and the Verification lowers LDL (bad) and elevates HDL (good) termilk with a teaspoon of fenugreek
Far East. Even in cold-winter areas Several modern scientific animal cholesterol, lowers triglyceride levels and powder to promote digestion. Sprout
it can be grown during spring and and human clinical trials have enhances overall health by cleaning the lym- the seeds for salads and sandwiches, or
summer. confirmed the therapeutic appli- phatic system. The lymph carries nutrients roast them in a skillet on low heat for a
It is a member of the pea fam- cations of fenugreek seeds. and removes toxic wastes, dead cells and minute or two, grind to a fine powder and should always be used with caution. If
ily, growing approximately two feet Oils in the seeds and several trapped proteins. A blocked lymphatic sys- and store in an airtight container. Grow the you have food allergies, be aware that fenu-
high with small trifoliate leaves. antimicrobial compounds in the tem can mean poor circulation, fluid reten- herb and enjoy the fresh leaves. Or simply greek may cause allergic reactions, such as
Tiny yellowish aromatic seeds are leaves have demonstrated toxic- tion, pain, loss of energy and disease. use Indian curry powder, which contains facial swelling, breathing difficulty and
enclosed within sickle-shaped pods. ity to bacteria, parasites and fungi. Several research studies have demonstrat- fenugreek in addition to many other health- fainting. Individuals allergic to peanuts or
The seeds are rich in nutrients, and Fenugreek seed sprouts have in- ed the therapeutic potential of fenugreek ful spices. Google “fenugreek recipe” for a garbanzo beans may need to avoid fenugreek
high in protein content (about 22%), creased antioxidant profile and seed extracts in treating diabetes. Fenugreek wealth of delicious recipes. altogether. Do not use it if you have bleeding
dietary fiber (about 48%) and mu- antimicrobial activity against helps maintain healthy blood sugar levels, problems or are using blood thinners, as it
cilage (25%). It is a good source of Helicopbacter pylori (H-pylori), and clinical studies have demonstrated its Cautions may increase the risk of bleeding.
minerals—phosphorus, magnesium, the cause of most stomach ulcers. hypoglycemic effects on type I and II diabet- Fenugreek in its natural form is safe and Remembering that moderation is the key
calcium and iron in easily absorb- Fenugreek strongly inhibits the ics. In vitro studies have demonstrated its beneficial for most people. Be cautious, to success, enjoy the many beneficial effects
able form, and selenium; vitamins Methi muthiya: In this delicacy from Gujarat, whole wheat growth of Staphylococcus aureus stimulation of pancreatic x-cells. however, if you are considering taking it in of fenugreek by incorporating this delicious,
thiamin, niacin, riboflavin, vitamins is combined with methi leaves for steamed or fried dumplings— and Pseudomonus aeruginosa in As an antioxidant, fenugreek is anti-carci- supplement form. Food supplements usually time-tested and well-loved herb and spice
A, E and C, and amino acids such as a healthful dish especially recommended for nursing mothers a petri dish. Leaf extracts have nogenic. Several laboratories are investigating have high concentrations of phytochemicals into your diet. ∏π

64 h i n d u i s m t o day j u ly / au g us t / s e p t e m b e r , 2 0 1 6 j u ly / au g us t / s e p t e m b e r , 2 0 1 6 h i n d u i s m t o day 65
ARTIST CORNER

The Shadow Ganesha that Went Viral

A young artist who makes ordinary objects cast a divine shadow
ana anil kumar is a multi-tal-

S ented artist from a small village

near Karimnagar in Telangana, India.
He’s skilled at pencil and pen draw-
ings, but his new claim to fame is shadow art.
During one of the village’s frequent power
outages, Sana noticed that the shadow cast
on a nearby wall by his flashlight looked like
something. Instantly the idea came to him of
a new way to create art.
He starts by gathering all sorts of house-
hold objects—small bottles, toothbrushes,
Rubiks Cubes, paper, cups, books, shampoo
all photos: courtesy sana anil kumar

bottles, etc. He arranges these on a table and

illumines them with the flashlight to cre-
ate a detailed work of art on the wall. He’s
done Hindu Deities, celebrities, buildings,
bridges and more. A small piece can take up
to five hours, while a large Deity or person
can take eight hours. He’s made over 40 such
works which he photographs and posts to
Facebook—his one gateway to the Internet. Art in all forms: (above, left to right, top to bottom) The Statue of Liberty,
His Ganesha and Durga shadow pieces have Krishna, a bharatnatyam dancer, Charlie Chaplain, Mahatma Gandhi,
gone viral, and he hopes to one day put to- and a moon-walking Michael Jackson; (right, top to bottom) pencil sketch
gether a museum exhibit. of young boy, duplicating a photo exactly; salt art of Gandhi; milk art of
Go to his page, facebook.com/Sanasinno- Shirdi Sai Baba; apple carving of couple on a bench under a tree; coffee-
vision, to find not only his shadow art, but a chain with interlocking links, and turning Multi-faceted talent: (counter- powder portrait of Bruce Lee; (below) Siva meditating next to a Lingam
a tour de force of creativity. His art media a pencil lead into a miniature Eiffel Tower. clockwise from above) Sana with his
are ordinary and wildly diverse: sand, milk, Art remains a hobby for Sana, something award-winning shadow art of Lord
sugar, tea, coffee powder, salt, Eno, even dry he does “just for fun.” He has made draw- Ganesha; pen art of a traditional
spaghetti. Sana has carved a scene into the ings for friends, and has yet to ask for any Hindu dancer, modeled from a photo;
skin of an apple; and a dirty rear windshield money in return. In 2016, he won India’s a miniature chain carved out of a
of a car became his canvas. He is also an ex- National Academy of Letters’ Yuva Puras- stick of chalk; the Eiffel Tower carved
cellent carver, sculpting a piece of chalk into kar award as a promising young artist. ∏π into the tip of his drawing pencil

66 h i n d u i s m t o day j u ly / au g us t / s e p t e m b e r , 2 0 1 6 j u ly / au g us t / s e p t e m b e r , 2 0 1 6 h i n d u i s m t o day 67
NUTRITION SCIENCE

You Are What Your Ancestors Ate What Do You Need to Know About Revocable Living Trusts?
Hindu Heritage Endowment (HHE) encourages all families to have complete estate plans. It will
A new gene study investigates how the biological evolution of humans
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in certain regions makes them more adapted to a plant-based a diet contribution to one or several worthy causes of your choice.
Nowadays, that means having a will, a revocable living trust, power of attorney for property
ew york’s cornell university re- Mediterranean diet, in contrast, is closer to inflammation, because their bodies were op- management and an advance health care directive. “Dying intestate” is the legal phrase used

 
N searchers have found a fascinating
genetic variation called the veg-
etarian allele, which appears to have
evolved in populations that favored vegetar-
ian diets over hundreds of generations. Their
having an equal balance of the two and is
recommended by many doctors.
This new study, funded by the National
Institutes of Health and the US Department
of Agriculture, shows that different people
timized for a different nutritional mix.
Researcher Kaixiong Ye said the evolution
of the vegetarian allele is less clear. It doesn’t
exist in our ape relatives, the chimpanzee or
orangutan, but there is some evidence it may
to describe an adult passing away with no
estate plan, a condition that sets up family
and friends for confusion, dissension, delay
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study, researching geographical diets in re- may need radically different ratios of these have been there in early hominids, Nean- adults die intestate. According to a recent
lation to vegetarians and meat eaters, was substances in their diet, depending on their derthal and Denisovan. It seems likely, the
published in March, 2016, in the Journal of genes. It supports the growing evidence researchers wrote, that it has to do with mi- survey by legal publishers LexisNexis
Molecular Biology and Evolution. against a one-size-fits-all approach to nutri- gration patterns and the pressures that came %õô]
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The scientists first analyzed the frequen-
cies of the vegetarian allele in 234 primarily
vegetarian Indians and 311 Americans living
today. They found the vegetarian allele in 68
percent of the Indian group and in 18 percent
of the Americans. They then analyzed infor-
mation from the 1,000 Genomes Project—a
database of global DNA—to estimate the fre-
quency of the vegetarian allele in far-flung
populations around the world.
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tion and for highly personalized advice.
The existence of the vegetarian allele, or
another form of the same gene, implies that,
for people with this variation, straying from
that diet—by eating a lot of red meat, for ex-
ample—may make them more susceptible to
Diets and geography:
(right) The light green bars
with the availability, or lack thereof, of dif- adults don’t have a will, much less a
ferent kinds of foods in certain environments. complete estate plan.
In a world where we have ready access to a
wide variety of foods at local groceries, these At death, a will becomes a set of legally
adaptations may be able to act as guidance binding instructions that govern the
in helping to choose the kinds of foods our
bodies are most suited for. distribution of your assets. Some people
mistakenly think that a will avoids probate.
On the contrary, a will is a ticket to probate court; but probate has the advantage of making sure
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The differences were striking: 70 percent show the global frequency
of South Asians, 53 percent of Africans, 29 pattern of an allele adaptive consuming and public. So, are you doing yourself and your heirs a disservice if all you have is a will?
percent of East Asians and 17 percent of Eu- to vegetarian diets. The allele ôR ôR5
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ropeans had the gene variation. has the highest frequency in
Research from the study shows how hu- Indians, who have tradition- corporation that holds title to your most important possessions: your home, your investment
mans in some regions are genetically adapted ally relied heavily on a plant- portfolio and your cash reserves. Though you still have complete control over these possessions,
to the consumption of plant-based foods based diet; (below) Eating you no longer hold them in your name. They are held by your revocable living trust. And just as
more than others. Studies have suggested a wide variety of vegetar-
that humans evolved on a diet with a ratio ian foods, especially those
a corporation does not go through probate when the CEO dies, your living trust avoids probate
of omega-6 to omega-3 essential fatty ac- of bright colors, has been after your lifetime. Your successor trustee simply steps in and follows the rules and instructions
ids of 1:1, but that the Western diet has a shown to enhance health in of the trust.
ratio that is closer to 15:1 or even 16:1. The many ways
Living trusts are useful during life as well. If, for example, you become unable to manage your
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no costly and embarrassing public conservatorship hearing. Revocable living trusts do have some
disadvantages. They are more detailed than most wills, and so the cost of writing them is usually
more than a will. Also, you must remember to transfer assets to your trust. If you do not, your
living trust will remain an elaborate but empty shell, like a safe deposit box with nothing in it.
A living trust needs to be managed and its assets distributed according to its terms. Your
successor trustee is supposed to take care of these important and sometimes complex tasks

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family and a boon to good causes. Naming one of the funds with Hindu Heritage Endowment
3ôô^ UR5
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property can usually result in a timely distribution at minimum cost. You can use your living
trust to create a future endowment fund in your name or the name of a loved one. Like the
gardens that surround a temple, your living trust will produce blossoms for a thousand years in
the form of harvested income from your fund’s principal.

For information on establishing a fund at the Hindu Heritage Endowment, contact

68 h i n d u i s m t o day j u ly / au g us t / s e p t e m b e r , 2 0 1 6 p h o t o s t o p t o b o t t o m : o u t l i n e -w o r l d - m a p. c o m ; s h u t t e r s t o c k
Shanmuganathaswami at 808-822-3012 x 6 or email hhe@hindu.org. New to planned giving
and want to learn more? Visit http://www.hheonline.org.
 JANUARY TO M A R C H ENDOWMENT CONTRIBUTIONS JANUARY TO MARCH ENDOWMENT CONTRIBUTIONS
Kauai Aadheenam Monastic Endowment Total 310.00
US$213.59 Total 2,148.60 -D;QD.DQQDWKLGG\.DOL
Anonymous Kadavul Nataraja Ardra Manjung Hindu Sabha Orphanage Fund Kovil Endowment
Roshan Harilela 375.00 Abhishekam Endowment Suntheram Family Trust Fund
Tivakaran Marathia 10.00 Siva Poomi School Trust Anonymous 150.00
Gunasekaran Kandasamy 134.56 Aravindraj Chandrasekaran 9.00 Ramachandran Suntheram 1,500.00
Anonymous 150.00
Mira Das & R. Mahalingam 250.00 Devajyothi Kondapi 324.00 Pazhassi Balamandiram Orphanage Fund Hindu Association of West
Hindu Press International Texas Endowment
Gayatri Rajan 75.00 Umasankaran Mohambourame 37.61 Ashwin Menon 75.00 Maha Ganapati Temple of
Endowment Fund
Chamundi Sabanathan 75.00 Gowri Nadason 126.67 Arizona Endowment Hindu Association of West Texas Devotees
Hiranya Gowda 42.00
Aran Sambandar 72.00 Parimala Selvaraj 93.00 Swami Vipulananta Children’s Chellappa Deva 51.00 10,000.00
Other Donations 32,000.00 Total 590.28 Home Endowment
Loving Ganesha Distribution Fund
Total 33,195.15 Anonymous 150.00 Murugan Temple of North Pakistan Hindu Empowerment Fund
Mano Navaratnarajah 225.00 America Puja Fund
Kauai Aadheenam Matavasi Medical Fund Canaganayagam Kugendra 60.00 Anil Kumar 18.00
Gassa Patten 1,350.00 Vayudeva Varadan 54.00
Iraivan Temple Endowment Shyamadeva Dandapani 33.00 Total 210.00
Total 1,575.00 Panchangam Endowment Fund
S. Balasingam 200.00 Mira Das & R. Mahalingam 250.00
Hindu Literature Fund India Hindu Temple Cleaning Fund Silvarajoo Muniandy 12.04
Frank Burkhardt 30.00 Kulagan Moonesawmy 16.32 Spiritual Park of Mauritius Endowment
John & Abha Wiersba 153.00 Danyse Crotti 100.00
Rajesh & Poonam Damodharan 101.00 Gowri Nadason 126.67 Anil Kumar 18.00 Hiranya Gowda 66.00 Digital Dharma Endowment
Jennifer Linguri 40.00 Toshadevi Nataraj 60.00
Hinduism Today Complimentary Kulagan Moonesawmy 16.32 Anonymous 10,052.31
Anonymous 178.28 Aran Sambandar 36.00 Tirumular Sannidhi Preservation Fund Subscription Fund Toshadevi Nataraj 60.00 Rajendra Giri 108.00
Balachandran Murugesampillai 200.00 Vayudeva Varadan 54.00 Shyamadeva Dandapani 33.00 Hiranya Gowda 102.00 Total 242.32 Gunasekaran Kandasamy 67.28
Rama Pemmaraju Rao 108.00 Other Donations 4,800.00 Rajagopal Krishnan 20.00
Alaveddy Pasupatheeswarar Temple Fund Total 10,277.59
Ramakrishna Rao 108.00 Total 5,375.99 Total 122.00 Anantha Ladies Home Endowment
Anonymous 150.00
Chamundi Sabanathan 140.00 Sayanthan & Anupama Sivanathan 30.00 Insurance Premiums
Tirunavukkarasu Nayanar Gurukulam Himalayan Academy Book
Nutanaya Sivaceyon 10.00 Mrunal Patel 2,002.00
Anonymous 366.00 A. Shanmugam Family Fund Distribution Fund
Yuvanes Waran 20.00 Hindu American Foundation Endowment Deva Rajan 12,129.38
Thamby Kumaran 100.00 Sushil Kumari 1.00 Anonymous 150.00
Other Donations 30,000.00 Rajendra Giri 110.00 Total 14,131.38
Total 466.00 Shyamadeva Dandapani 33.00 Mark Stevens 25.00
Total 31,135.28 Kauai Aadheenam Religious
Art and Artifacts Fund Total 183.00 Total 135.00 Kauai Aadheenam Renovation
Sri Subramuniya Ashram Endowment
Kauai Aadheenam Annual Archana Fund Scholarship Fund Rajadeva Alahan 51.00
Kauai Aadheenam Yagam Fund Cows of Kadavul and Iraivan Temples Other Donations 600.00
Anonymous 197.32 Valery Gorbatsevich 28.45
Murugan Temple of North Benevity Donor 251.00 (Kovil Maadu) Endowment
Anbu Kandasamy 251.00 Anonymous 324.00
America Pillaiyar Shrine Fund Anonymous 23.40
Anil Kumar 18.00 Total 352.45 Total Contributions $131,889.15
Pathmini Saravanapavan 150.00 Yogaswami Hindu Girls’ Home Dheeraj Handa 10.00
Saroja Devi Manickam 6.00 of Sittandy Endowment
Sayanthan & Anupama Sivanathan 15.00 Natraj Narayanswami 33.00 Funds at Market Value, Mar 31, 2016
Ashwini Maureemootoo 27.58 Sri Subramuniya Kottam Fund Anonymous 1,553.59
Gorbatsevich Valeriy 10.00 Toshadevi Nataraj 30.00 Total Endowment Funds $13,294,184.18
Saroja Maureemootoo 21.88 Anonymous 300.00 Marlene Carter 162.00
Total 175.00 Sivaruban & Nishiya Sivanesan 150.00
Toshadevi Nataraj 60.00 Sasikumar Darmalingam 8.00
Kumbhalavalai Ganesha K. Vasanthakumari 50.00
Subramaniam Pennathur 49.98 Rajendra Giri 110.00 Grand Total US$13,294,184.18
Temple Endowment Thank You Bodhinatha Fund Arunasalam Vathavooran 50.00
Purany Ponniah 283.50 Thamby Kumaran 100.00
Mano Navaratnarajah 75.00 Anonymous 1,134.47 Total 346.40
Hemavalli Sivalingam 4.41 Subramaniam Pennathur 50.01
Hotranatha Ajaya 22.00
S.R. Thancanamootoo 7.69 Sivaruban & Nishiya Sivanesan 150.00
Hinduism Today Production Fund Amarnath & Latha Devarmanai 324.00
Sanjiva Thielamay 251.00 Soma Sundaram 15.00
Krishan Lal Saxena Family Venkat & Hema Devraj 501.00
Maran Thondaya 111.30
Charitable Fund 100.00 Debashis Ghosh 300.00
Jagan & Padma Vemulapalli 121.00
Anonymous 10.00 Lorraine Jackson 10.00
Anuradha Venkatachalam 101.00
Ron & Jennifer Burke 150.00 Chandrashekhar Jairaman 101.00 MISSION STATEMENT: Hindu Heritage Endowment is a publicly supported, charitable or-
Nagarjuna & Padma Yerra 175.00
Total 1,686.66
Prabhakar C Ghosh 90.00 Gunasekaran Kandasamy 533.08 ganization recognized as tax exempt by the IRS on April 22, 1994. Employer ID 99-0308924. Founded
Rajendra Giri 108.00 Michael Kempinski 1,080.00
Hiranya Gowda 62.00
by Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, its philanthropic mission is to provide secure, professionally
Mano Navaratnarajah 150.00
Hinduism Today Lifetime
Rajiv Kaushal 72.00 Sakuntalai Periasamy 68.61
5ôõ^ 3 3 3õô5 3ôõô3ô5ô3*
K
Subscription Fund
Rajagopal Krishnan 20.00 Chamundi Sabanathan 216.00
Rita Andriello 300.00
Rajendra Dahal 499.00
Subramaniam Pennathur 50.01 Aran Sambandar 198.00 PROFESSIONAL ADVISORS: Halbert, Hargrove, Investment Counsel; Lynn M. Gaumer, J.D.,
Gayatri Rajan 75.00 Tejasinha Sivalingam 5.00
Tarakini Gunasegaran 8.00
Aran Sambandar 72.00 Adi Srikantha 54.00
*ôôKõ*õ7!3$$(L ô^ôõ    3K 3
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Shridhar & Bijal Iyer 499.00
Adi Srikantha 54.00 Soma Sundaram 50.00 for Philanthropic Planning, the source for education, research and advocacy for professionals who
Anbu Kandasamy 366.00
Venkanna Kanna 499.00
Total 863.01 Anba Dayananden Valayten 10.60 have a role in designing and implementing donors’ philanthropic plans. In memorial of Alvin G. Bu-
Vayudeva Varadan 81.00 chignani, Esq., Legal Counsel 1934-2016.
Karthik Kannan 499.00 Hindu Orphanage Endowment Fund Michael Wasylkiw 648.00
Kishore Krishna 499.00 Tamnash Gupta 108.00 Total 5,486.76
Matthew McDermott 240.00 Roshan Harilela 375.00 I WANT TO PARTICIPATE: Where should I Send My Donation? You can send your gift to an
Ramalingum Moodley 499.00 Gunasekaran Kandasamy 134.56 Sri Chandra Madhab Debnath Endowment
Anil Nimmagadda 499.00
existing fund, create a new endowment or request information through the address below. Donations
Kartikatipan Ramachandran 21.00 Shyamal Chandra Debnath 150.00
Bijamati Pareatumbee 60.00 Chamundi Sabanathan 75.00
may be made online at www.hheonline.org to join our family of benefactors who are Strengthening
Purany Ponniah 297.00 Vardharajan Shanmugavelu 10.00 Murugan Temple Yalpanam Festival Fund Hinduism Worldwide. Thank you.
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digital media
The Ramayana Enters the
Gaming World on Mobile Devices
T hroughout history hinduism’s
wealth of literature, including scriptures,
poems and epics, has been passed from gen-
eration to generation. Originally transmitted
by word of mouth through story, song and
play, this cultural and religious wealth was
eventually scribed in the written word. Over
the centuries stories such as the Ramayana
and Mahabharata have taken many forms,
in recent times on TV shows and in comic
books. But can these forms of communica-
tion cut through the plethora of digital
entertainment, education and distraction
that fill the lives of today’s youth? One com-
pany feels they have a 21st century option.
Hinduism Today recently sat down with
Naryanan Vaidyanathan, Director and CEO
of Gamaya Inc. in San Jose, California. He and
his team have developed (and are continu-
ing to build on) Gamaya Legends, a game for
mobile devices with the goal of presenting
youth an engaging and visually rich presen-
tation of the Ramayana and its characters. It
also features physical toys which can inter-
face with the game.
“As a kid, I used to enjoy visits to my grand-
ma’s house during summer vacations. She
would tell us stories from Indian mythol-
ogy and folklore in great detail and with
powerful dictation, painting great images in
my mind that have always stayed with me.
When I had a daughter, I wanted her to have
the same experiences and know all about
these great stories and characters. So I ^rst
bought some Amar Chitra Katha comics
that I had read as a kid. These comics were
great for me, so I thought they would get her
interested, but the language and artwork
was from my time and didn’t resonate with
her. As I told her these stories every night, I
thought about how kids these days need a
more enriching experience. They are used to
high-quality presentations like The Lord of
the Rings or Harry Potter, and unless we can
meet them at that level, these epics will fade
away from their memories.
“So I set out to recreate these epics in a
language kids today will understand. Our
core audience is children from 7 to 14 years
old, and for them we had to create some-
thing highly interactive and engaging. That’s
www.hinduismtoday.com
how Gamaya got started. The word gamaya
is from the phrase asatoma sat gamaya,
meaning “from ignorance lead me to truth.”
It’s also a nice combination of game and
maya (illusion).
“By basing the product on the Ramayana,
we hope to provide a window into this epic.
We can’t cover all aspects of it, of course—it’s
a l l p h o t o s g a m aya i n c .
just too big. But the game lets kids play in the
Ramayana universe. It gives them an intro-
duction to the characters and their stories.
We expect this to inspire dinner-time con-
versations where kids can learn more from
their parents.
“Gamaya Legends is an action game. We are
not hiding that. The Ramayana involves the
classic hero’s journey—overcoming impos- An engaging introduction: (from top)
sible challenges, forming great alliances and The opening screen of the Gamaya Legends
^ghting evil. Gamaya Legends is no different. mobile game; an in-game image of the
We do avoid blood and gore and stick to fan- gameplay as Rama battles asuras in an at-
tasy/cartoon violence, and we don’t go look- tempt to save the pages of the Ramayana; a
ing for reasons to add action elements. collection of the game’s physical toys, which
“While playing the game, kids save leg- when placed on the book-pedestal come to
endary scrolls of the Ramayana from being life in the game
destroyed. These scrolls have illustrations
and voice-over of the original Ramayana
story. This way they get an introduction to
the story through the game. We have also
created an animated cartoon series that
focuses on the characters from the Rama-
yana (bit.ly/gamayalegends). This lets us go
into greater detail with the characters and
main story. At the end of it all, if the kids
who engage with our products get inspired
to know more about the epic, then our origi-
nal goal is reached!
“Some of the customer feedback we’ve
received has been very encouraging. To quote
a few: ‘This is a great game. I bought it for
my 7-year-old son and he thoroughly enjoys
it. This is a very nice way to introduce kids
to such stories. Since the time my son has
started playing this game, we have had sev-
eral conversations about different stories at
the dinner table and in the car.’ Another par-
ent said, ‘My 6-year-old son knew the story
of Ramayana, and now he is super excited
to experience the characters coming to life.
I cannot express my joy when he says that
Rama and Hanuman are his superheroes.’”
To learn more visit: restorethelegend.com